atlanta. ia i'll have all the other latest including a new prison sentence for awning sung suchy. a military court has found her guilty of corruption. and we begin this hour with a dramatic escalation and tension between russia and the west over the war in ukraine. now threatening to hammer european economies. they say they've now halted supplies. after them denying russia to pay in rubles. they're cutting to the pipeline you're seeing in green. the move could signal trouble for european economies more broadly, which is still heavily reliant on russia's energy. meanwhile with, a state of attack in and around moldova is raising fears russia is planning a new front on the war in ukraine. after explosions destroyed radio towers and a reported rocket attack a day earlier. the blast happened in a russian-backed break-away region highlighted in red on your screen. we're hearing they hit a key rail and road bridge. russia 's trying to sew tension between his country and moldova will have to listen. >> translator: this is happening to destabilize the region and threaten moldova. they are showing them if they support ukraine, this is what's going to happen. >> meanwhile, increased fighting in donbas and luhensk. and hopes for a resolution through talks are are looking slim. russian president vladimir putin said negotiators achieved a breakthrough during talks but claims the situation changed following allegations of russian war crimes in bucha. ukraine's top prosecutors exclusively shared photos with cnn's anderson cooper. and they are very graphic indeed. they were taken in early march and show bodies strewn on the street. they are evidence into the investigation of war crimes. allison cooper will have a full are report later today. cnn has exclusively obtained drone video placing russian forces near the scene of the killings and highlighted in the middle of the screen is a russian military vehicle at an intersection in bucha and right are up the street are the bodies of is several dead civilians. and then this video was shown showing russian soldiers around a military vehicle parked out sad nearby house. cnn has been able to geo locate, as well as authenticate both videos. despite evidence like this, russia has denied any involvement, saying it will stage images of the bodies have been staged. let's get more on this. and claire, yet again, more disturbing images out of buch clearly being used, as we heard from anderson cooper in the last few hours, as evidence of war crimes. what does he think of this and the third mass grave uncovered in mariupol? >> reporter: president putin is consistent. he's sticking to his line that this is not something that russia is responsible for; that the images coming out are fake. we knew that bucha was a turning point in the conflict. from his view, it's because this cause thtd ukrainians to renegon promises they made in peace negotiations. take a listen to white had to say. >> unfortunately, after reaching agreements and our clearly demonstrated intentions to create favor aable conditions for the continuation of negotiations, we encountered acon tamination in bucha which we have nothing to do. >> look, it's clear that this is something he continues to do. he's awarded the brigade with a special honor, he continues to call the images out of there fake. is and meanwhile, it's not just ukrainian prosecutors but the international criminal court as well. and the new images will be part of that. >> indeed. one of many bodies -- international bodies investigating the war crimes. the u.n. was one of them and i spoke to them 24 or so hours ago. let's talk about the economic pressure that russia is now putting on several european countries. i'm thinking of poland and bulgaria. it will cut off supplies unless they pay in rubles. have they cut them off already and will the countries pay in rubles? >> reporter: they confirmed this morning, that they have, as of this morning, cut off supplies. and they said that is because those countries have refused are russia's demand, as of april first, that they should pay for gas in rubles. they had a threat in that statement that because poland and bulgaria are transit countries, that any sign that they are siphoning off gas for transit will mean russia cuts back supplies through the pipelines by the same amount they believe has been siphoned off. pretty clear. but european countries, most are not going to agree as it stands, to pay in rubles. hungary is the out liar there. the e.u. has issued guidance that says paying for gas in rubles might be in violation of sanctions. >> thanks very much, claire. good to see you. well, the u.s. defense secretary says the world move at the speed of war to help defend ukraine. part of a are renewed push to get kyiv military help as quickly as possible. here's the story for you. >> reporter: the u.s. rallying the western world and beyond to keep the weapons flowing to ukraine as russia's invasion enters its third month. countries converging to figure out what weapons they need and how to get in quickly. >> ukraine clearly believes they can win and so does everyone here. >> germany, announced during the meeting, it will send in 50 mobile antiaircraft systems. the u.k. and canada also sending more armored vehicles. the willingness to send in weaponry is growing, along with the rhetoric. defense secretary lloyd austin raised eyebrows when he said the u.s. goal is to weaken russia. >> i think we've been pretty clear from the outset. we do want to make it harder for russia to threaten its neighbors and leave them less able to do that. >> reporter: the war has weakened russia's military, he says, through atrition, a pro longed fight and the losses they've suffered on the battle field. at the same time to weak withen the ability to arm its military. this fight with, he says, remains between russia and ukraine. >> this is clearly ukraine's fight and ukraine's neighbors and allies and partners are stepping up to make sure they have what they need in order to be successful. >> reporter: as russia's offensive in southeast ukraine begins, time is critical. secretary of state, anthony blinken, says the process to approve and send weapons has been shortened from weeks to as little as 72 hours. >> this is moving quickly. we have cut through a lot of red tape. at the same time looking for other countries that may have equipment ukraine can find useful. >> reporter: part of the challenge, training them on western weapons. in an exclusive interview, says the war is about far more than ukraine. >> what's at stake is the global international security order that was put in place in 1945. that international order's lasted 78 years, prevented war. >> and that's why the conviction is louder and clearer before. the goal is a victory for ukraine. anything else would be felt far beyond the battle field. joining me is ukraine political analyst and founder of the crimea project. thanks very much for joining us. i want to get your thoughts of what we heard in the last hour or so. from the folks in the ukrainian military, saying they're acknowledging losing towns in the east as the russian offensive intensifies. your thoughts? >> reporter: yes, isa. thanks for having me. of course, we see russian advance now in southeastern areas of ukraine. and it's absolutely clear that putin is seek issiing some kind victory before ninth of may. very important for the russians. and unfortunately, for ukrainians, we're now face ing much more fears, effects on ukrainian grounds here. after atrocities we saw on the out skirts of kyiv, in bucha. we absolutely aware of the fact that russian soldiers are not fighting with with ukrainian armies. they're fighting with civilians. and from this perspective, ukrainian armed forces positioned in luhansk and the latest region ares are going to find what do we take? if they lose these battles for donbas, russians will advance further. the central city in ukraine. and afterwards, of course, they're going to go back to the ukrainian capitol, kyiv. >> let me break down what you just told me and on the question of that wind from may the 9th, that you hinted at, that putin needs there. the symbolism there. what would by that trophy? what would be that win? we're talking odesa? mariupol? because we have seen increased attacks in odesa. >> reporter: yes. for putin, it doesn't matter what kind of victory he's going to take on ukrainian soil. from his perspective, the most crucial, most important victory would be taking control over some big city in ukraine. all of them, while very close to the frontlines. in terms of taking control over mariupol, as we know, ukrainian fighters are encircled by russians and it looks like they have just several days, as maximum, to stand against the are russian attacks. but putin is also going to help. he's going to hold so-called referendum on the south end. in the 12 days of the war. we saw a couple of days ago, russians moving civilians from occupied crimea to kherson. >> and we have seen and heard from many people who are turning their back and pushing against this referendum, so-called are referendum. let me ask you about odesa. do you think, given the attacks we've seen in odesa, do you think moldova should be worried here? is russia planning a new front in the war? >> absolutely. absolutely. what we saw in a russian sep are ruts territory held since 1992, where the former soviet army was positioned, we see clearly held by russian service, at least it looks like. from my perspective and perspective of ukrainian military. looks like they effect themselves. yesterday they're also brought up radio stations. one thing showed up clearly and it was russian operation because they use rocket launchers, which only russian army and this so-called army using it. rbg 27. which is only subused by russians, not ukrainian army. >> this is very worrying indeed and it's moving rap ridly as we. the stories i've been hearing, i can tell you the last 24 hours have been truly shocking from people inside and those that have escaped. thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us from kyiv. and still to come on the show, myanmar ousted civilian leader sentenced for corruption. the latest on the charges against aung san suu kyi after the break. store your things until you're ready. then we deliver to your new home - across town or across the couountry. popods, your personal moving and storage team. "peace of mind." such a big, beautiful idea. and for us at booking.com this means - free cancellation on most bookings. it's a bit functional. but we'll gladly be functional. so you can be free. booking.com booking.yeah shipstation saves us so much time it makes it really easy and seamless pick an order print everything you need slap the label on ito the box and it's ready to go our cost for shipping, were cut in half just like that go to shipstation/tv and get 2 months free why burn a candle when you can switch to air wick essential mist? it's the modern way to transform fragrance infused with natural essential oils into a mist. air wick essential mist. connect to nature. welcome back, everyone. myanmar's leader aung san suu kyi has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison. stems from accusations of bribery, all that she denies. so, what more are you learning about the fate of is suu kyi? >> these are cases that have been ongoing for some time? the military in myanmar took control of the country in a koou coup in february 2021. since then aung san suu kyi has been held behind bars in an undisclosed place. she does deny all the charges against her, as do her supporters. she's already been sentenced to six years in prison for incitement against military, breaking covid rules and owning walky talkies, now the more serious charges are coming. this of corruption and this is a sentence of five years. there are a number more corruption cases. each one could have a maximum prison term of 15 years. so, effectively, if she does have to serve these sentences, which does look likely at this point, this is effectively a life sentence. we've heard from human rights watch saying it is a kangaroo court, saying they're bogus corruption charges and the days of aung san suu kyi as a free woman are effectively over. >> joining us live from seoul. many thanks. and a ukrainian prosecutor shows cnn where nearly two dozen abducted civilians were taken and what they were forced to endure. if you're a small business, there are lots of choices when it comes to your internet and technology needs. but when you choose comcast business internet, you choose the largest, fastest reliable network. you choose advanced security. and you choose fiber solutions with speeds up to 10 gigs available to more small businesses than any other provider. the choice is clear: get unbeatable business solutions from the most innovative company. get a great deal on this limited time price with internet and voice for just $49.99 a month for 24 months with a 2-year price guarantee. call today. welcome back, everyone. here in lviv, ukraine. where the air raids have gone off in the last five minutes or so. an all too frequent occurrence every time a threat is detected in ukrainian airspace. we are following breaking news out of ukraine. conflict in ukraine. and the gas company is confirming the last few minutes. the complete halt by russian company. this as british intelligence says the majority of russian air strikes in mariupol are likely using unguided, free-falling bombs, which greatly increase the risk of civilian casualties. mariupol's mayor says a third mass grave site has been discovered. and new satellite images show freshly dug sites, which have goran inside over a period of time. the ukrainian armed forces are acknowledging the loss of several towns and villages in the east as a pace of the russian ground offensive picks up. and we have been hearing truly heartbreaking stories of ukrainian civilians and troops being detained and in some cases, deported by russia. and phil black speaks to one released from detention and others still waiting for are their loved ones. >> reporter: war creates powerful connections between people. >> they didn't know each other before the russians came. now he's brought her news that inspires pain and hope. he was recently free from a military detention center in russia. says her grandson was there too. for weeks sasha's family didn't know if he was still alive. seized and held in early march, they heard nothing about his safety after the invaders retreated. they know the same pain and uncertainty. vladimir has told them he knows their son was recently alive in the same detention center in russia. he says he heard his name shouted every day during role call. there is comfort in that but not enough to soothe a mother's anguish. i don't have hope anymore, helena says. they will kill them and no one will find them. ukrainian officials say dozens of people were abducted from around the town near kyiv during russia's occupation and most were initially held here in a sprawling industrial site, they used as a command post. ukrainian prosecutor shows me the condition those captured people were forced to endure. a small, dark, cold room. people were packed together here, he says, hands bound, eyes taped. >> 22 people. they need to walk and relax on somebody else because there's too much people. >> reporter: some spent weeks here. someone tried to keep track of days by scratching marks on the wall. says all the people who came in this room had only one thing in common, they were civilians. several people who were kept here tell us they were frequently beaten and interrogated for information. one says his hands and fingers were cut to the bone by russian soldiers because he couldn't help them. does it make any sense to you why they did it? >> no sense. i don't know what kind of information they could take from these people. >> reporter: this captures the moment ukrainian forces attacked the industrial site, driving out the russians. a number of those still locked in the room at that time, tell us that's when all remaining captives were able to escape. but others, including volodymir -- it says he resisted the special operation conducted by the president of the russian federation. in reality, he was detained while volunteering with the red cross, helping people escape the firing. they confirmed he was returned as part of a prisoner exchange with russia. he believes that explains why russian forces are abducting ukrainian civilians. he says they took as goods that can be exchanged later like a mobile phone or another commodity. he inspects a list of more than 40 names, a register of people from the area who are still missing. says he recognizes most of the names from his time in the russian detention center because he deliberately tried to remember as much as possible. he says sooner or later one of us had to be the first to be released and that's why we tried to remember the names of other people to let their relatives know they're alive. he says there urwith about 2hung ukrainians in detention while he was there. he hopes all will get home quickly so the suffering can end and healing can begin. phil black, cnn, in the kyiv region. >> lively from lviv. i'll see you in 30 minutes time or so. rosemary church picks things up after a short break. you 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(soft music) ♪ shipstation saves us so much time it makes it really easy and seamless pick an order print everything you need slap the label on ito the box and it's ready to go our cost for shipping, were cut in half just like that go to shipstation/tv and get 2 months free this week cnn brings you the stories of pioneers taking on the biggest missions in science and health care. companies can now use virtual reality to do medical research that could help solve key health issues. rachel crane strapped on a headset to see how it's done. ♪ >> reporter: oh, okay. well, let's give me some hair. this may look like a game but i'm exploring a virtual reality platform that helps them design real medicine by putting them inside the molecule they're study aing. i'm in the molecule, looking up at it. joining me is the 30-year-old cofounded san diego based pull start up. you started as an academic nano engineer. what inspired you to actually create this platform? >> grew up big gamer. i remembered how different it was to go into vr and be in the environment. compared to just playing a 2d game. i was like why don't we have a better immersive graphics way to do this. >> reporter: turns out a lot of scientists were asking the same question. since the platform launched, hundreds of organizations have adopted nano's vr tools for are their research. >> you actually immediately gain new insights. this could send you on a new path of molecular development that would other would have not been discovered. >> reporter: antibiotic resistance. it's what happens when bacteria no longer are respond to today's antibiotics, making common infections difficult to treat and even fatal. a medical research based in the u.k. is using the nano er to search are for the bugs. >> they're inherently difficult to create new drugs for because they have a high natural defenses. >> reporter: tackling the problem helps speed up recovery. but there are still financial hurdles to overcome. >> they're really poor. >> reporter: compared to other medications, antibiotics are cheap to buy but expensive to develop. >> what does it allow for and how does that translate to cost savings? >> getting a drug to market six months quicker may be worth hundreds of millions in value because yaur you're able to save it earlier. >> reporter: a quicker path to discovery, around one in ten antibiotics make it past clinical trials and none is at that stage yet. but he says the vr gives more scientists a chance to beat the odds. >> we try to make it as accessible as possible. democratizing tools like this and see a billion scientists in the world. african voices, change makers is next. and in the u.s., i'll be right back with more news after the break. for an exhilarating blend of essential oils. curated with citrus and mint to uplift the sensnses and transform your mood. air wick essential mist aroma. welcome back, everyone. u.s. vice president kamala harris is in isolation and will be working from home after testing positive for covid-19. in a tweet harris said she does not have any symptoms and grateful to be vaccinated and boosted. she tested positive after returning from california and is taking pfizer's drug as part of her treatment. contacts tracing is now underway to determine if others around her are infected. the white house says harris has not been near president joe biden, due to their recent travel schedules. drug maker, pfizer bion tech is asking the food and drug administration to clear booster shots for 5 to 11. they say a third vaccine dose raises omicron fighting antibodies by 36 time thins age group. they have yet to clear a vaccine for children under the age of five but efforts are underway to have a vaccine available in the coming months. it was a terrible tuesday for u.s. financial markets. fears of an economic recession drove blue stock down more than 800 points. the tech sector took a beating as well with the nasdaq at a 52-week low. meanwhile, deutsche bank is predicting a major u.s. recession fuelled by inflation. the bank says the federal reserve's interest rate hikes and could fuel spending and the housing market, making matters worse and new information revealing from text messages showing the role one congressman played in efforts to overturn the u.s. 2020 election. here's details. >> reporter: congressman scott perry of pennsylvania has been steadfast in pushing the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen. >> the president's going to win georgia, going to win north carolina. it's all going to come down to the keystone state. >> reporter: but a new batch of text nesages, which have not previously been reported, illuminate how active he was behind the scenes as well. new messages showing he had a real in every turn in scheming to reverse or delay the 2020 election. five days after the election was called for joe biden, perry texted chief of staff, mark meadows. dni needs to task nsa to immediately seize and begin looking for international coms related to dominion. was china malware involved? this text has never been revealed before and shows perry encouraging meadows to get the then national director of intelligence to look into false conspiracy of dominion machines being hacked and he claimed the brits with were behind the plot and gina haskell was covering for are them. "dni needs to be tasked to audit their overseas accounts at cia and the national endowment for democracy." says he did not approach radcliff about the requests. he put jeffrey clark in a position to investigate voter fraud claims. perry was the one who introduced clark to trump. perry terksted "mark, you should call jeff. i got off the phone with him and he explained why the principal deputy won't work, especially with the fbi. they'll view it as having the authority to do what needs to be done." he responded i got it. let me work on the deputy position. and he responded, roger, i just sent you something on signal. he was recently elected as the chair of house freedom caucus. are should the republican take the majority in the fall, their power would only increase. perry did not respond to multiple requests from cnn to respond to our report. i did catch up with him outside the capitol on tuesday to ask if he had any explanation for his communication with mark meadows. he only responded heck no. cnn, capitol hill. and madison kawhi thorn was spotted after they spotted a loaded handgun in his bag at a north carolina airport. tsa agents found a .9 millimeter handgun. police say he was cooperative and sited for possession of a dangerous weapon on city property. it is the second time in just over a year the young congressman has been stopped for carrying a gun at an airport. he's also said to appear in court next month on charges of driving on a revoked license. funeral services will begin in a few hours from now for former u.s. secretary of state, madeleine albright. she died last month at 84. president joe biden will deliver a eulogy at the service with more than 1400 expected to attend. former president bill clinton and his wife, hillary, who was also secretary of state, will speak as well. albright was a central figure in the cleinton administration and he remembered her as a passionate force for freedom, democracy and human rights. taking a daily aspirin may be doing more harm than good according to medical experts. the medical services task force no longer recommends taking the daily pill to prevent heart disease and it may put already healthy people at a higher risk for bleeding in the stomach or brain. correcting the behavior won't beiesy with 2.9 million of americans using aspirin daily. the president of the american heart association says aspirin uses might make sense in some situations where risk factors are not under control. well, spacex is launching its second mission to the international space station this months and it is happening right now. we're going to bring out those pictures. all the checks have been done and the astronauts of the crew four mission are ready to take off. in a brand new captural named freedom, let's quickly have a listen. >> freedom is good for launch. >> spacex reports go. crew reports go. you heard it there. 30 seconds aafway from lift off. t minus 20. >> t minus 15 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, ignition. liftoff. let freedom ring. >> one alpha. >> freedom sores. the dragonflies forth. eagle already touching down. all engines are getting good performance on stage one propulsion already. >> we are t plus 35 seconds into the fourth rotational crew mission on board dragon nine. the nine merlin 1v 1 engine to throttle bound. in preparation for max where the vehicle will experience the highest amount of aerodynamic pressures. >> vehicle is supersonic. >> all right. so, we've pass ted the speed of sound. and there's our call out for max cue. >> stage one. >> right after max cue, we will begin to throttle those engines up again. >> copy one bravo. >> one bravo. we're in the second and final abort mode for the final stage and pushing an excess of two gs and coming up next is a couple of events in rapid succession. in about ten seconds, on the second stage of the engine. and then in about a minute, we're going to start 1/2 with miko, main engine cut off, where the nine engines you're seeing are going to cut off in preparation for stage preparation, where the first and second stages will separate from one another and then the sing isal merlin engine will ignite and continue to carry our crew four astronauts to orbit. >> and that has started. >> stage one. >> nine merlin engines starting to throttle down. >> absolutely spectacular. there they go off to the international space station and thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. i'm rosemary church, our continuing coverage on the war in ukraine continues next. this is xfinity rewards. our way of showing our appreciation. with rewards of all shapes and sizes. [ cheers ] are we actually going? yes!! and once in a lifetime moments. two tickets to nascar! yes! find rewards like these and so many more in the xfinity app. are you a christian author with a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and right around the world. i'm isa soares in ukraine. and we're covering the breaking news coverage. just ahead here on the show -- >> president putin is now a pariah, and russia is more isolated than it eve