injuring several others and warning those who fled the city should not return yet. all of this coming as we get a clearer picture of the devastation left after russian forces withdrew from areas around kyiv. officials say bodies of 900 innocent civilians have been discovered there. and in the south, the once proud city of mariupol, decimated. >> the enemy cannot seize mariupol. the enemy may seize the land that mariupol used to stand on. but the city of mariupol is no more. the city of mariupol has been wiped off the face of the earth by the russian federation. >> ukrainian officials say it's in reprize for the sinking of the russian strip in the black sea. there is concern that russia could use a nuclear weapon. but hope comes as italy's ambassador is returning to kyiv. and france could soon do the same. air defenses were activated in the early morning hours. here's matt rivers. >> reporter: we were awoken in lviv with air-raid sirens around 5:45 local time this morning, what's not uncommon. what is more uncommon is getting detailed information from the a ukrainians about what caused the sirens to go off. we got word from officials that the sirens went off because russian war planes that took off from belarus launched four cruise missiles to unspecified targets in the lviv region, with the ukrainians saying they successfully shot down those missiles using air defense systems in this region. but lviv not the only area that was targeted by russian attacks overnight. we know such an attack took place in a southeastern district of the city of kyiv with the mayor saying at least one person was killed, several others injured when a russian attack damaged buildings in this southeastern district of the city with rescue workers continuing to be on scene throughout saturday afternoon as officials work to get a better sense of the overall situation. also getting information about the russian build up, the ukrainian officials outlining there are some 20 battalion groups that are now centered around a city with the understanding that those troops could move south and east into the donbas region. this is the part of the country where defense officials say this latest russian ground campaign, this latest offensive will likely kickoff in ernest in a much more scaled up way in the coming days and weeks now this is the latest around ukraine at this point not only as we watch and wait for the offensive in the eastern part of the situation but other attacks in other parts as well. turning to mykolyav, they describe the situation there as increasingly hostile. ed lavandera joins me from odessa. officials yesterday reported russian forces used cluster munitions in the area. what have you heard? >> reporter: we were in the city when those attacks were dropped. we saw evidence of those cluster munitions used on the ground as they hit various target there is, including feet away from an orthodox church. five people were killed. we are told that one of the five people was killed because they picked up the debris of an unexploded ordinance, when they picked it up, it detonated killing that person, they're urging people not to touch anything that's fallen on the ground in that region. the mayor today sent out a picture and details saying that a kindergarten building was destroyed today in mykolaiv, injuring one person at least three missile strikes. to give you a sense why mykolaiv so so important, it sits on the southern front of this war zone, just about 35 miles east is the city of kushnhirson. those who evacuated describe horrific conditions, russian soldiers pillaging homes, stealing from people, desperate situation for many of those people to get out. that's why officials are saying that mykolaiv is a renewed area of focus because there has been shelling going on for weeks but the intensity has now picked up to an extensive degree. what is behind the strategy of this? it isn't really clear at this point but it doesn't matter for the residents living in that city. when we were there and licensed to the attacks fall and rain down on the city, it was indiscriminate. civilians mostly targeted. russian military officials saying one of the areas hit today was an artillery storage facility. even if that's true, by and large what we have seen is civilian areas, apartment buildings and parks that have been targeted by russian forces there in mykolaiv. so it is an intensifying situation and a quickly changing situation in that city. fredericka. >> ed lavandera thank you so much in odesa. the first shipment of newly approved military aid for ukraine is expected to arrive in the region today. a senior defense official tells cnn the $800 million in weapons and equipment will be picked up at the border by ukrainians and taken into the country. jasmine white is joining us from the white house. what more do we know about the new shipment? >> reporter: the new shipment is meant to meet the evolving needs of the ukrainians as the fight is expected to shift to the donbas region in the coming days and we know that's more of a clear and open type of battlefield. for the first time the u.s. approved more high-power weaponry to meet the new needs of the aweukrainians. we know they gave the howitzer cannons essential for long range targets. mi-17 helicopters something that president zelenskyy pressured president biden to give. that will be good for transporting things across the battlefield. as well as the switchblade drones for long range targets. definitely essential equipment that president zelenskyy was advocating for for quite some time for the u.s. to send. john kirby explained more of the thinking behind the new shipment here when he was talking to cnn's jake tapper on thursday. take a listen. >> we think the terrain there, which is likes kansas, flat, open, will lend itself for the russians to use mechanized forces in columns, artillery, short range and long range fires. those are the capabilities you want to make sure the ukrainians have as well. we're tailoring the package to meet the needs they have today, because they are fighting in the donbas today, and the fighting in the coming days and weeks to come. >> there we heard kirby talking about the why. some of the weapons approved in the latest shipment just a few weeks ago, some biden administration officials felt they would be too escalatory to be sent. too escalatory viewed by russia. now that has changed. one thing i want to say is that it seems like russia has noticed as officials say they sent a diplomatic note to the state department protesting the ongoing equipment, weaponry sent to ukraine. saying to stop it, there would be consequences. and this came as the u.s. was preparing that latest $800 million shipment of assistance that is expected to be delivered in the next few hours here. >> jasmine white, thank you so much at the white house. let me bring in a democrat from illinois, a member of the house intel committee. congressman, always good to see you. last week you said you thought the u.s. needed to escalate the military assistance to ukraine. is that what this is to you? >> yes. i think the only thing that vladimir putin respects is force. and the only thing that we can do to make sure that he feels that force is to escalate and accelerate those shipment of arms to the ukrainians to make sure they beat them on the battlefield right now. >> so russia now has formally protested the weapons shipments by the u.s. as if russia has put itself in a position where it needs to -- every country needs to seek its approval. what do you think when russia now says this could lead to unpredictable consequences? >> well, i think first of all it shows that the shipments are working in terms of enabling the ukrainians to really exact tremendous damage on the russians. by the way, i have to say that the ukrainians themselves have been incredibly resourceful, the neptune missiles they fired at the moskva were ukrainian produced missiles and the russians took a terrible toll in losing that ship. i think with regard to these consequences, at this point we don't know what that means. but obviously if the russians feel that they are going to be able to attack nato territory, for these shipments of arms that would escalate the conflict tremendously. and i think that's something that the russians should think twice about. >> but you don't see that russia is now inferring that u.s. providing weapons is escalating that? it is a nato nation that is now provoking russia. >> they could infer whatever they want, fredericka, but at this point, i think that providing arms to the ukrainians of this type is completely appropriate. ukrainians are defending themselves from an unprovoked and unjustified attack by the russians. we have to remember that the russians initiated these hostilities not the ukrainians and the ukrainians have every right to defend themselves. >> this week president zelenskyy asked president biden to name russia as a state sponsor of terror, and that would seem to escalate the level of sanctions against russia even further. do you believe that's something the u.s. should consider? >> i think they should consider it, however, you know, naming them a state sponsor of terror would trigger a number of other types of sanctions we would have to level against our allies and partners throughout the world, including the europeans, including partners in asia and so forth. therefore, it's something that i think we would weigh very, very carefully before we took that step. >> zelenskyy also warned that it's his belief that russia will resort to using limited nuclear weapons in ukraine. is that where this is going in your view? >> i think it's something we have to be concerned about. of course, that would be a dramatic escalation by the russians and i think one of the things that the russians are probably thinking about as swell as the use of such weapons is russians themselves. the fallout could go into russia, it could kill their own soldiers on the battlefield. and i think it would be, in my opinion, catastrophic if it were to be used in ukraine. >> congressman, always good to see you. thank you so much for joining us today. >> thank you, fredericka. >> coming up, it's a radio station hosted by americans and broadcast in the u.s. but is backed by the russian government. we'll take a look at the propaganda that they are saying on the public airwaves and how it is permitted. plus, newly revealed text messages from two republican members of congress show they aggressively pushed the trump white house to try to overturn the 2020 election results but then changed their minds. a cnn exclusive straight ahead. g throrough our grow up great initiative. and now, we're providing bibillions of dollars for affordable home lending programs... as part of 88 billion to support underserved communities..... including loans for small businesses in low and moderate income areas. so everyone has a chance to move forward financially. pnc bank: see how we can make a difference for you. open talenti and raise the jar. to gelato made from scratch. raise the jar to all five layers. raise the jar to to the best gelato...tch. you've ever tasted. lenti. raise the jar. 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(excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. a radio station sponsored by russian state media and hosted by americans is spreading war propaganda in two u.s. cities. cnn's alex marquardt looked into what is being said on the broadcast and he's joining me right now. good to see you. it seems extraordinary to be happening in the u.s. how did you learn of it? >> reporter: this is. when i got home from ukraine a couple weeks ago, someone told me you could listen to radio sputnik here in washington d.c. this is at a state when other stations and networks were taken off of platforms because of the war in ukraine. i found it surprising. i started listening to a lot of radio sputnik when they talk about the war in ukraine they talk about america's wars overseas and hypocrisy. it goes on to talk about the -- they claim -- what we hear on radio sputnik is also very similar to what we're hearing straight out of moscow now. driving around downtown washington if you tune to 105.5 fm, you land on -- >> you're listening to radio sputnik. : ?>> radio sputnik a station funded by the america state. >> here in d.c. you can listen to it on a.m.nd fm radio. they continue to broadcast even when other stations have been taken off over platforms because of the war in ukraine. >> i already knew that ukrainian nazis were real. and i -- when putin started talking about it, i was like, well, it's about time you talk about it. >> host lee stran hhan calls himself prorussia. in bucha, some hosts are not convinced. >> there's no question about whether the atrocities occurred. the question is who's responsible for doing it? >> they claim to be offering a different viewpoint, asking questions, challenging the narrative. which veers into seeing conspiracies, seeding doubts and mistrust. the companies that put sputnik on the air are forced to register as foreign agents with the justice department. sputnik is required to tell listeners who backs them, a media group funded by the russian government. >> moscow russia. >> reporter: none of the hosts we reached out to would speak to us, except scotty nell hughes, who was a cnn host. >> we no that russian state media is putting out lies about this conflict. i say that as someone on the ground in ukraine. why should the united states tolerate having russian state media on the airwaves? >> let the american people to make the decision. trust the american people to hear what they're saying and make the decisions for themselves whether or not they believe it's truth. >> reporter: after the 2016 election, the u.s. intelligence community put out a report accusing sputnik of being part of the interference efforts. >> there was a gray area of first amendment protection rights versus an insidious presence in our country that is really there to weaken and destroy our system. that's really what this is about. and it's state sponsored. >> reporter: sputnik programming is only broadcast in two u.s. cities, washington d.c. and kansas city, missouri. rm broadcasting helped to get it on the air. his owner told us he, quote, stands with ukraine. rm broadcasting is dedicated to the unfettered exchange of ideas, he said. that freedom of choice is the ultimate underpinning of our republic. it isn't the job of the federal communications commission to censor content either instead let the public know where the content is coming from. >> they must be able to make the decision to filter truth. >> stark said he finds some of the content deplorable but on public airwaves even if a station is backed by a country allegedly committing war crimes they can in the u.s. continue to broadcast. >> so it does come down to the question of public versus private. private companies like facebook, youtube, that can do what they want, kick anybody off they want to. but the public airwaves are quite open. the fcc says they're not necessarily in the business of censoring what is said on stations like sputnik, but the u.s. government is going to require these foreign-owned stations to reveal where it is that their programming is being backed by. in this case, of course, it is moscow, russia. and so, in this case when it comes to sputnik being on the public airwaves, we should not expect them to go anywhere any time soon. fredericka. >> that's extraordinary, incredible discovery that you made. alex marquardt thanks so much. let's talk about vladimir putin and what his next moves might be. let's bring in jacksoill dohert. good to see you. that radio station, that's a direct pipeline into the u.s. promoting putin's propaganda. is it your sense that he has a direct hand in that, helping to facilitate that? >> there's no question. because sputnik is run by the government. but i think alex pointed out, it's on two stations -- i mean, in two cities. so the number of americans who are listening to it and i have listened to it spore radically, not particularly scintillating listening. so, you know, i try to look at the russian media, what they're doing to their people. and that is marketedly contrasting. right now, let's take the example of the moskva, the ship that just sank. it is a huge story. and domestically in russia it's very big not only because contemporary things, the war, the embarrassment of having a ship sink like that but it could remind russians of another time, 20 years ago, 22 years ago, when the submarine sank and that was a turning point, and still a bitter memory, of russians. there was no war, but it sank. and president putin had just come into office. and the information about it was shutdown and then they had to acknowledge that 118 guys died. we don't know how many people have died on the moskva. so the information for russians is being shutdown. just yet the moscow times, russia's service significantly and also radio france international, which also broadcasts in russian shutdown by the russian government. so obviously they're trying to control the information that their own people are getting about this war, let alone propa beganda the rest of the world. >> and the information they want to convey would be advantageous to the government. so when you have the ship that sank is it conveyed as this is the cost of war? or is it being reported in a more nefarious way instead of being the cost of war, retaliation in war that instead the messaging is something else? >> you know, it's a confusing message, fredericka. because that's often what happens with russian media. initially, and they're pretty much sticking to this, it was an accident, there was a fire, there was an explosion. it was towed in a storm and then it sank. that's the official version. when you look at russian media and there are now, on russian tv, it is almost all news and talk shows. and the talk shows sometimes seem farfetched because they get a lot of characters on them. but they often raise issues kind of like trial balloons about, you know, ideas. just this week there was one in which a person on that show actually said, oh, it was the ukrainians, they were hunting that ship. they had this planned a long time ago. and, of course, that contradicts what the official line is. and then also, there are other people on the shows who say, it's not the ukrainians, it's the americans. it's nato. and so, there is a lot of confusing, i would say, messaging going on by the government. but ultimately, and i think ominously, it does kind of lead back to not the ukrainians but more nato, the united states, our big enemies are those. >> so when the invasion, you know, first began, vladimir putin gave out the false line that he was trying to rid ukraine of nazis. now the rhetoric has shifted we're hearing comments about ukraine being a satanistic country. what is being said and how is this advantageous for russia? >> i watch it closely because i was in moscow right at the beginning of the war. and you can see the messaging. it was the government of ukraine is run by nazis. and it kind of hinted at the fact that -- or the opinion that the ukrainian people were kind of deceived or led by their nazi, in quotes, which is completely fake, but that they were misled by their government. that is shifting now, and also i'm using the word ominous. i think this is ominous. what the message is now is more the ukrainian people themselves are nazis. that the entire country is a nazi country. and the demeaning language used right now in the mrussian media for ukrainians is over the top. it's an old propaganda technique. make your enemy look like they're human -- >> right. dehumanize. >> right. to destroy them, demonize. exactly. so this idea of satanism. i actually heard that word on their air, satanism, and there are articles on this in the media. there's a religious element that is creeping into this, which is kind of an existential idea that russia, you know, is facing attack from these satanistic forces. and it helps, i think, if you're in moscow and trying to deny there are human rights violations. it helps if you call the other guy a satanist. these are old techniques fredericka. and they were used in soviet days. they're used in other countries. but it is striking to see how quickly this is moving. >> now the rhetoric is russia is attempting to save humanity as a result. extraordinary. jill doherty, thank you so much. for more now about information on how you can help in the humanitarian efforts in ukraine. go to cnn.com/impact. we'll be right back. se gels have laser drilled holes. they releasese medicine fast for fast pain relief. and nonow get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief without the water. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ see him? he's not checkin' the stats. he's finding some investment ideas with merrill. eyes on the ball baby. digital tools so impressive, you just can't stop. what would you like the power to do? frank is a fan of fast. he's a fast talker. a fast 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breath test, the first of its kind and all of this happening as new york health officials are warning the public about two covid sub variants in the state. let's bring in polo sandoval, who has been tracking the developments. tell us more. >> reporter: the breath test going to come at a perfect time with the increase we've seen throughout much of the country, what has authorities concerned is an increase we've seen here in new york specifically in the central part of the state, in fact, the average number of cases has nearly doubled in the last two weeks, when you look at the map it speaks for itself. the two offshoots for the ba.2 variant are to blame. they're to blame for about 90% of the cases. it's unclear if the new variants will basically become the dominant strain here in new york. officials say it's too early to tell and it's not the first time they've been detected. they've noticed them throughout much of the country, and they've been located in places like germany, the uk, india as well. it's not a time to panic but it's a time to re-emphasize those recommendations we've heard from officials for well over two years now. the daily number of reported cases right now, it's still just a fraction of what we experienced in the omicron surge in january. nonetheless, this is still an opportunity to really re-emphasize those recommendations when we heard recently from new york state's health commissioner saying even though the subvariants are new, the tools we have to protect ourselves, fred, those are not new. get vaccinated, get boosted if you can, continue to wear masks indoor as well. >> and polo, people love to go to their broadway shows. so tell us more about the extension now of the mask protocols. >> reporter: yeah, you have to the owners and operators of about 40 different theatres who decided to extend the current mask requirement through at least the end of may, but also many will not check vaccination status after april 30th. the broadway league estimating since they reopened last fall they welcomed about 5 million audience members at shows on broadway. so that's an indication that people are still enjoying broadway right now, fred, though they have to keep the mask on for at least a little while longer. >> people want to get out but it means being in so you have to be safe. polo sandoval, appreciate that. we need ammo, we need fraud examples, we need it this weekend. i quoting now, messages to mark meadows in the weeks leading up to the insurrection. what the texts reveal about attempts to overturn the election next. find more ways to grow at miracacle-gro.com ♪ three times the electorlytes and half the sugar. ♪ pedialyte powder packs. withepatitis c i felt i couldn't be at my best for my family. in only 8 weeks with mavyret i was cured. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all types of hep c. before starting 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supporters on capitol hill. and then white house chief of staff mark meadows. the texts were sent in the weeks between the 2020 election and the january 6th insurrection. they show that some lawmakers were in favor of overturning the election results until they discovered there was no evidence to back up the claims. here now is cnn's ryan nobles. >> reporter: senator mike lee of utah, and congressman chip roy of texas, two of former president trump's loyal defenders in congress, dozens of private texts to mark meadows a picture emerges how both went from aiding challenging election results to ultimately warning against it. the texts obtained by cnn show how they were trying to help initially but then raised concerns to trump's top deputy about efforts to stand in the way of the certification of the 2020 election. we're driving a stake in the heart of the federal republic, roy warned meadows on january 1st in a text message in possession of the january 6th committee. it came after weeks of begging meadows for hard evidence concerning election fraud and concern that the lack of evidence was a problem for the trump legal team. we must urge the president to tone down the rhetoric he wrote on november 9th. roy did believe there were problems with the election. in early december he went to the house floor imploring colleagues to look into the fraud. >> it's missing in action and doing nothing. >> like roy, senator lee started out hopeful there was a path to challenge the election results. early in november he touted the work of sidney powell, encouraging meadows to get her an audience with the president, calling her a straight shooter. but less than two weeks later, powell appeared with rudy giuliani in what would become an infamous press conference where they made wild, baseless claims about the election. >> president trump won by a landslide. >> lee then changed his tune, calling powell a liability and turned to touting leestman. when the plan fizzled, lee decided he was no longer on board. he texted mark meadows on december 16th, i think we're past the point we can expect anyone will do it without some direction and a strong evidentiary argument. both lee and roy ultimately chose not to join other republicans to vote against certifying the election. >> our job is to open and then count. open, then count. that's it. that's all there is. >> privately they were even more emphatic about the fool's errand trump's team was on. the president should call everyone off, it's the only path roy texted meadows. while lee argued the effort was on dangerous constitutional ground. three days before january 6th he warned i know only this will end badly for the president unless we have the constitution on our side. they did not. but the trump team and a group of loyal republicans went ahead with their plan anyway as it became clear their effort would not be successful, hundreds of trump supporters stormed the capital in protest. as the violence was raging roy texted meadows, fix this now. >> does the gentleman from texas -- >> he then went to the house floor and placed the blame squarely at trump's feet. >> the president should never have spun up americans to believe something that cannot be. >> both of the offices of these two gentlemen did respond to our story, neither denied the texts authenticity. senator roy's office said he was transparent at this time. and congressman chip roy said, quote, no apologies for my private text positions. i stand behind seeking truth, fighting nonsense and acting in defense of the constitution. these texts, obviously in the possession of the january 6th select committee and they remain an important part of that investigation. ryan nobles, cnn on capitol hill. >> extraordinary revelations. thank you, ryan. still ahead, how music is helping to boost the spirits of ukrainians in their darkest hours. meet the ukrainian bruce springsteen next. they're both investsted... in green energy. and also each other. digital 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(excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. do your eyes bother you? my eyes feel like a combo of stressed, dry and sandpaper. strypaper? luckily, there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients. and no preservatives. try biotrue! just as prayer can lift people, so can song. which is why a ukrainian rock star is using his voice and influence to lift civilian spirits in this time of war. cnn's rafael romo has the story. ♪ >> reporter: there was the orchestra that performed the concert for peace in the public square in the middle of the day, inspite of the danger of an air strike. and the cellist who defied the invaders by playing his instrument in front of bombed out buildings. and who can forget the little girl with the sweetest voice who made those around her forget they were in a bomb shelter. one by one singers and musicians in ukraine have defied the russians by using their talent to unite a nation and soothe a terrified population. the most famous one is slava who some call the ukrainian bruce springsteen. at the beginning of the invasion he could have chosen to flee the country. instead, he decided not only to stay but to visit terrified civilians like these people seeking shelter in a subway station. >> you went to a subway station by yourself where there were many people, and unannounced, and you started singing. why did you do something like that? ♪ >> the whole idea, he says, is to help people forget even if it is for a fleeting moment about the horror of war. >> imagine somebody like me comes and says, hey, guys everything is fine, let's sing together. let's have some fun. >> let's forget for a moment we're at war. >> yes. this is it. >> and so he's visited hospitals like this one in mykolaiv to cheer up victims of a rocket attack. survivors of an air strike at a train station and troops on the front lines. songs he says are his answer to russian bullets, empathy and goodwill are more powerful than any bomb. >> ukrainians are one of the most -- the freest nations in the world. we have this gene of freedom in our dna. that's why probably many americans instinctively support us now. in the streets people greet him and ask for pictures. heo he obliges and takes the opportunity to give everybody the same message, everything will be all right, which is a title of one of his songs. i hope that everything is going to be all right for everybody the song says. our time is going to come. rafael romo, lviv, ukrainene. 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