was in those from the very beginning for deliberate than yes can look grounds, quickbooks in this direction, lou continued. this is an aggression against the international rules and free samples on which our modern civilized world is built. we will defend ourselves and we will do it every day. we won't give up anything ukrainian greens, navy, the more also coming up in parts of northern ukraine, the russian invasion happened at lightning speed. the russian withdrawal came just as quickly and yet there was time enough to devastate the homes and lives of innocent people. there isn't a building we can say that doesn't at least bear some scars of the war and many ireland beyond repair. while the physical clean up is underway, the emotional scars will take a lot longer to heal. ah, what you, our viewers watching on p b. s. in the united states, into all of you around the world, welcome. we begin the day with a 1st win for the russians in ukraine. today, russian forces sees the city of crimean. it in the eastern part of the country. ukrainian forces reportedly withdrew completely, making this the 1st city to be captured in this new offensive in eastern ukraine. and that offensive was confirmed a day by russia's foreign minister, a campaign to take control of eastern ukraine, known as the don't best region. overnight, russian forces claimed missile attacks hit more than 1200 targets. and despite the heavy barrage, ukraine says that the front lines remain unchanged. we have more in this report. shots fired on the front line. ukraine says these are some of the opening salvoes in russia's offensive in the east. in footage, released by the ukrainian defense ministry troops to say they are ready to defend the don bus. let them come, the soldiers says they will stay here forever. there is enough land to bury them all. ukraine's president confirmed the stock of the new phase in the war. in that us zamora, we can now state that russian troops had begun the battle for the dawn about a slot for which they hadn't been preparing for a long time in a hearing, a significant part of the entire russian army is now concentrated on this offensive . no matter how many russian troops are driven there, good, we will fight. we will defend ourselves, and we will do it every day that we won't give up any thing. ukrainian, green school, navy, the more thousands of residents are now trucked in towns under constant shilling. this woman lives in the remains of a village near the front line. she describes living in anew. no man's land was love . you sell it. when you find we don't even know where the shelling comes from. here we wait for it from there. now thinking that the ukrainian army will protect has then it comes from there, you know that there shelling from all directions that one humanitarian groups raised to evacuate. sic, an elderly residence from the contested, donate, screeching, adding to the estimated 10000000 ukrainians, who now fled their homes by any means possible. or myrtle thus does. the main difficulty is that people who have problems moving you had to be evacuated or change. very old people who are living there final days or weeks or months. and that's why it was so difficult when you watch and olga with him, with russian force is in control of much of the south and east. one pocket of resistance remains the as of style steel plant. in mario poll, several 1000 ukrainian forces are entrenched here under heavy attack. on tuesday, russia issued yet another deadline for them to give up their arms. but here as elsewhere, ukrainians are refusing to see any of their territory without a fight. over more on this new chapter in the russian invasion, i'm joined tonight by bradley bowman, brad as a u. s. army officer and black hawk pilot and senior director at the center on military and political power in washington d. c. he's also a former national security adviser to the u. s. senate. it's good to have you back on the show rad. we've got a lot that's going on right now, rushes offensive to take control of eastern ukraine. it's now underway. here is how the pentagon is describing yet. let's take a listen to that. i'm like to get your reaction. just over the last several, several days. you can see, you can continue to see the russians are, are doing what we call shaping. they're trying to set the conditions for more aggressive, more overt and larger ground maneuvers in the don boss. but again, i would remind this is an area of the country that has seen fighting over the last 8 years. this is terrain that both sides understand and know what, what are your thoughts brand? i mean, is this a new offensive where both sides have equal chances, if you will. thanks for the option to join. you guys can to see again, thanks for the question. you know, i, i think what we've seen over the last week or 2 is obviously that withdrawal of russian forces around key after that defeat there. frankly. and we've seen kind of the refitting in their re supply as best they can as quickly as they can. and the concentration those forces in the don boss, so we see a huge quantity of russian forces combined arms forces. by that i mean artillery armor and other other common elements converging on a smaller region with a goal, frankly, of taking other parts of done asking lou hans if the russians hadn't already controlled so that a potent, perhaps by early next month when they celebrate a major historical anniversary might be able to claim their russian forces control all the don boss, of course, standing between potent and that goal or ukrainian forces that have been fighting in those very locations for 8 years. many of them are dug in the ukraine as are bringing forces reinforcements themselves. and they're also getting tons and tons of weapons from the united states and european allies, including a new shit i shipment of howitzers, 18 howitzers, which are going to be kind of the bread and butter of this coming. find that we're going to see it's going to be largely artillery. conflict in the side that can maintain fire superiority, may win. so it really is a raise to reinforce the respective sides. and this could be a decisive fight that we're seeing in the coming days and weeks. ukraine's ability to repel russian portions for almost 2 months now. and how important have weapons from the u. s. and the west been for ukraine's ability to survive. you know, when i look at what's happened on the bow, so there's been some things that have been predictable and there's been a lot of surprises. if we're being honest. i site really 3 primary things. first is, you know, my review of history and also these more recent events is you never underestimate the will, determination and ability of a free people defending their homes. you know, we've just seen that throughout history. once again, the cranes have put that on full display. and that can overcome all kinds of advantages in the camp of the adversary. so what i give you craniums great credit to, i would say the provision of weapons, particularly the javelin weapons, or the anti tank weapons, the stinger into aircraft, missiles. some european equivalents of those have been absolute, decisive in the way the cranes have employed those weapons are having to weapons is one thing, how you employ them with your tactics, your operations, your, your operational concepts, the, they've been incredibly agile and using frankly, the non commissioned officer corps, which the u. s. help them develop since the 1990s, a lot of years may not know the california national guard has had a relationship. crane's as the 1009. these helping them among other things built there and ceo core. and then the last, the 3rd thing that i would say is just surprising deficiencies on part of the russians were related to logistics sustainment in combined arms ability to integrate air, land, and sea forces to achieve combined arms effects. they haven't been able to do that very effectively. up till now. it's going to be interesting to see whether an amount of weeks with, you know, a new general here or a new general there they're selling and be able to do that. if they can't, then i think they're going to continue to have a hard time against their ukrainian people defending their homes. yet we, we've seen the ukrainians in a years, the switchblade suicide, drones fairly effectively on in urban areas. and i'm wondering if that will continue to be. so what happens if and when the russian forces are able to take this fight to the broad and flat planes of eastern ukraine? you know, for america and, you know, i've been in keep, i've never been in the don boss, but as i understand it for americans, you know, it's a bit like kansas p. so exactly in the don boss region. much more open and that's why the artillery fires, right? you cover and concealment is limited, right? the ability to protect yourself from being seen or head is limited. and so it's about maneuver and firepower, frankly. and that's why i was in society until the moment you mentioned a switch way, drones, those are very effective and helpful, helpful and urban warfare course. there are 2 different variants of the switch playing drums with different sides more heads. but the point stands nonetheless, they help with intelligence surveillance, recognizance, and then as you suggested, they can become a common cause. you draw that actually goes then takes out the target. but the sides of the target they can take out on depends on what you the to variance you're looking at. but the bottom line is, you know, the ukrainians are having high morale. they, they are have incredible support coming from the us. but you know, that's remember, ukraine's industrial sectors is the word zone. so russia is going to be ahead by the sanctions. so they're going to have a hard time reinforcing their forces over the long term. but ukraine's the defense industrial base lot of it's being destroyed. and if you see the russians take marable and the next few days, the now will free up roughly 10 or 11 battalion capital groups, which will then be able to converge on the don boss as well or be used elsewhere. and so there is a connection between what we're seeing in mary paul and don boss. and if i can, real quickly, brent on very well, i know couldn't goal is to establish elaine bridge from russia to crimea, essentially already has, but he has the c ameria pull on that axis. and he, either he has to goals either wants to replace the cranium there with, with right now, russians, if you will, or to destroy it. and he seems to be going with option number 2. and by destroying, i mean, literally destroying marable, i, he will as stablish and unimpeded land bridge between russia and crimea. that would be a major political skita. good. ah, russian forces have spent weeks bombarding the port city of mario pole. as we heard, a take overlooks inevitable, but it is not complete. several 1000 ukrainian soldiers and civilians remain inside the cities, massive as old style steel plant refusing to surrender ukraine claims. russia is using cluster bobs to attack the plant. we cannot verify that claim. we're joining me tonight is maria sir jenko, a former resident of mario poles, who is now sheltering in levine. re it's good to see you. again, i'm glad we're able to see you again and that you are alive and well, the russian government. it says that it has set a ceasefire in mario poll for to morrow, april 20th. i mean this appears to be a demand that those inside that steel plant lay down their arms or else be have you heard anything about that to night? yeah, i heard a lot of stories and really horrible stories from my relatives and from my friends for a stealing mary info and many of them hiding in the, in the plant. and there are hundreds of civilian people who are hiding the air because they can't get out and they are homes already destroyed. so i, they seek shelter there and russians. he is super powerful bombs to kill everyone. so it says, yeah, it's, it's a holland, the earth, really air in, you know, you're from marya po, what can you tell us about this steel plant there where these ukranian soldiers and civilians are standing their ground against the russians? i, i understand that this isn't just, you know, a simple factory. i mean, this is a huge complex, right? yeah, this is one of the biggest plans sat in ukraine basically. and this was one of the main plans and mary, you pull and hundreds of thousands of people, a word fear. so it's, you know, one of the biggest in it was one of the biggest employers, or marable citizens, sir, i mean this at, as it's tal plant. the last time that you and i spoke of you had made the journey to levine to escape the attacks. we were talking about the bombing of and the city theater in mario pole of what has happened since then for the people. you know, the people who may have remained in mario poll unfortunately. um there citation is and get it any better and there is still no electricity, no water, no power. and people are staying there because they can't leave. and the sedation is only getting worse. for example, one of my close friends, she lands, they are to find their parents and little sister. she found them. but unfortunately, she can get out because the russian, the creed in this filtration camps. so she can just leave the city because they need to, you know, wait for some days and they are searching for, you know, every, everything they can find to not long people getting out of the city. so this asian get an aim better, you know, the world we're, we've seen this endless stream of pictures showing mario pole in, in ruins. and i'm wondering what about your apartment, for example, at me? do you know what if you could go back, would you have a place to go back to even if the situation were safe? almost all my house, where is my apartment was destroyed. as for my apartment, i know for sure that there are no windows to and probably some of the parts of this apartment are also not. you know, it, we're not able to leave. they are, if this evening visitation is said, getting that or let's say i so i think her 999 percent of the buildings and the cd i just tried to and you know, every day i remember i dream about my past there about my home and coming back there and then weary celebrate and we were a celebrate and easter every year in mary paul with my whole family, you know, gathering together. and right now it's 1000000 pop. impossible because russians the tallest they tall ever seen our future, our memories. so i can't imagine how i can get, get back the area because they are just nothing laughed from the city. i remember, and i know, and you are now in the western ukrainian city of levine's, of ed. it was seen as a safe haven for people trying to get out of places like mario po, that has changed, particularly in the last couple of days with more and more airstrikes from russian forces. i mean, do you feel safe where you are nail? i think there is no safe place in ukraine right now. not a leaf, not in a now the city of the country. and unfortunately, this is the station very leaving in for the 2nd month already. of course, after he has today's attack, her people are more worried and they want the are peaceful future. but we better we need help to finish this war and we need to be able, you know, get back home for some of people at least to feel safe. because right now it's impossible to be safe in any part of ukraine in what happens. i mean, i'm thinking of, you know, worst case scenario. what happens if the attacks they're in the leave, if they become more intense and you have a situation where staying there can be a bigger threat than you want to take me to what, what would your plans be? what would you do that i really don't know because you know it's, it's hard to plan and i understand that in comparison to marry paul or to hark if it's a safer here. but when i hear the attacks, when you hear all this rockets heating the city, i, you know it's a, it's impossible to say safe and to stay calm. so we don't know what will be happening. we still hope for the end of this war and 4 hour mm. you know, fall a country that will, will defeat protein and russians. so this help hold says alive and we want to be positive because it's impossible to say in such conditions without without positive thinking. yeah. i mean, your positive attitude is very impressive and something to be loaded. that's for sure. but what you describe, of course, is a, is a very dangerous place. i mean, why haven't you left, you know, millions of people have lived. you know, what's the difference between them and you? why have you state, you know, i, these, i think my parents set horror portion place talking as pain and the are the, are because the manage to leave marable before the war and i visited them. i was in pain for some days. and this for a really peaceful days. but just yesterday i came back to be a for, and i, you know, i have my clothes, people here. i have my a work, i have my country and i will try to do my best to volunteer perhaps or to help other people here. so it's, ah, let me ask you before we run out of time, you know, we see so much of, of you are president of zalinski being a figure of inspiration, a wartime president, he didn't expect to be that we also hear how just every day, civilian soldiers are doing an incredible job with weapons are getting from the west in defending the country. i mean, these are incredible stories. i mean, when you think about the future of your country, where, where do you get the inspiration most? especially for, for this positive attitude. i get inspiration from air, every ukrainian that surrounds me here. and i think in the most difficult times, this is the moment when we as a nation unite and i believe in my country, i well written that leave here i believe in ukraine. so maybe this is the thing that inspires me and as go going forward in any case, good will. it's good to see that you're able to still smile and we hope that you have many more reasons to smile in the future. maria or jenko. we appreciate you talking with this to night from levine. thank you. with russia now focusing on the dorm bass region, some ukrainians in other parts of the country are returning to their homes. or what's left of the w correspondent. rebecca bitter traveled to the city of your peam where russian forces took control earlier in the war. and then withdrew. one thing that strikes you when you enter a pain is the silence. these once bustling straits now scorched and deserted, then sometimes the silence is broken. by the sound of people trying to put their lives back together. i have nothing to my wrath. 300 square meters of roof is missing. above full of the apartments, there's nothing but the blue sky above the bumpers. the thing an ever ogre is the caretaker of these 82 flats and she lives in one of the top over there to my apartment is in this part of the building that was damaged by missiles. she stayed right through the occupation to try to save them from russian soldiers taking them over, but was helpless to stop the missiles. no, not over. now, it is in this state, the house is uninhabitable until we rebuild it. do you more next door to alga? another group with a similar story. they tell me this wasn't the 1st time they've had to flee. one of putin's was one. what you wanted? it made me live here as a last resort. do you understand what you many of us are from done bass. we came here from war just to simply live and war came here after us up please love. we are peaceful people. we don't want anything bad. we just want to live what law. however, new hike you were brought the hacker robert, the most important thing is that it doesn't happen again. person could come back at any time even to morrow. there building was also badly damaged by rocket fire. one woman shows me where her flat used to be. several, almost filing a, this was my bedroom and there was a balcony behind it, larger and no, there is no balcony there at all or so from my things where they are like a little away says which of it, which i know it's gone. oh, butter on the wire. russian soldiers may have left a pin, but this is a city that's been left in ruins. there isn't a building we can say that doesn't at least bear some scars of the war and many a ruined beyond repair. while the physical clean up is underway, the emotional scars will take a lot longer to heal so many who fled when the war broke out. they have little left to come back to that for those who stayed behind many will have an even bigger recovery to contend with. the boy. if the wall comes again, i will survive in any case, i will always survive because i have a bear and he protects me. near the day is almost round, the conversation continues online. you'll find us on twitter. either be news, you can follow me at bridge golf t v. and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day we'll see that ah ah ah ah ah ah, with ah with a little tougher. a little stronger. ha, so brave huh. i'm still paid a lot less with why most women fight their way through the world of work and how much better do they have to perform a gender equality check made in germany based on d, w. o, the fate of the nation. the history of the red army, in part one of our documentary founded in 1918 to defend the young, the soviet union. but the real test of the red army was yet to come. the great patriotic war against nazi germany. in 45 minutes on d. w. o. guardians, if truth exiled turkish journalistic, johnny, dun dora, i have paid almost every price of being a journalist in a country like turkey and mexican investigative journalist on i believe $9.00. this is arlene. every day the government is involved. she's digging the countries soil to find out. ah, they want to kill me. god is stored somebody 3rd on the w ah, ah ah, ah, women are supposedly harder on themselves than men. are women under sell their qualifications and are shy about asking for a promotion or race, supposedly for some that may be true, but it might be all too easy to say that what holds women back are the women themselves, as opposed to say.