this, that this attack was underway all. the associated pressure showing us. this is the traffic leaving heave now. people are preparing in different ways. . what is the level of preparation you re familiar with? sending the school their blood type signify. they need blood transfusion? would also be heard? people have been preparing for the worst. while the government had been downplaying this threat. people are taking the situation extraordinarily seriously in terms of the western intelligence assessments. the evacuation plan, no plan b. people have been sending their
us from the associated press. this is a highway out of kyiv. look at the cars down the right side, going into kyiv, very few of them. look at all those cars, leaving heave right now. our reporter on the ground there, erin mclaughlin, has heard shelling s. was on air with us, when she heard that song. this is unusual. because it seemed like a second phase, in something that just began a few hours ago. as you heard so, we ve not heard the ruling over of tanks. or artillery over the eastern border of russia into ukraine. but, there are two regions in eastern ukraine that latin putin has declared independent. and today, he ordered a special military operation to protect those places. he says that he has requests from the leaders of those two republics, that nobody else in the world recognize us as independent, for russian military interference or involvement. and that is why they are sending activity that they have going on there underway.
0 official, i asked him if president putin is directing this himself. and he said yes, that is how it is going. that is not surprising. we know that president putin makes all of the decisions. in the end, he will have had advice from that small clique around him, that ultimately he is the decision-maker. and another element of his televised address, which to reiterate, if russians will be stunned by. waking up and seeing now, another man from that televised address, which is chilling frankly. is that president putin requires russian s nuclear capability. and clearly, openly threatens western leaders. even after the collapse of the ussr, losing a significant part of the nuclear potential. today, russia is one of the most nuclear powers. and he says, i think that this is a direct message to the west. in this regard, no one should have any doubt that a direct attack on russia will lead to defeat and dire consequences for a potential aggressor. and so, i just want to say all, just before t