As we reported it's been exactly three months since Russia invaded
Ukraine. It is the largest war in Europe in 80 years and at its peak
displaced more than 13 million Ukrainians. That's 30% of the country.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians. Civilians have also died, and though
there is no official number, US and Ukrainian officials have said
tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian troops have also been
killed.
To take stock of where we are. I'm joined by Nick Schifrin.
Nick. The Russians are currently focused on the Eastern Donbass region.
But as we well know, that was not their original intent. Can you
remind us of the evolution of this invasion? At the beginning? It's
what President voting will demand Zelensky calls Total war the idea
of overthrowing the government in Kiev and targeting civilians in
order to break the will of the population.
Let's go back to February, 23rd and the map before the invasion,
Crimea parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in red, controlled by Russian
forces since 2014 and then February, 24th Russian forces invaded
in the north toward Kiev in the east, the second largest city in
Hark Eve and from the south in Crimea. US officials feared
Kiev could fall within days. Fast forward to March 24th Kiev held
but Russia seized swaths of territory. This is the high water mark
of the invasion, but in the north and the east, Russian forces were
already bogged down.
Ukrainian forces were beating them back. And so by April the sixth
what you see in blue in the north there, Ukraine won the battle of
Kiev pushed Russian troops all the way out of northern Ukraine. And
then this is the map. Today, Russian forces have been pushed beyond
artillery range in hark Eve, but in the south, they have consolidated
their control.
Around Mariupol, giving them a land bridge to Crimea. And now Russian
goals have shrunk. You see that city in the East Severed donates
that is the last Ukrainian city held in Luhansk. That is the Russian
goal in US and Ukrainian officials, William fear that this war could
be a grinding stalemate that could go on for a long time.
So in that scenario who benefits
It's a key question, but it's it's not a simple one to answer. Let's
look at the Ukraine. Ukraine believes that over time it will have
more weapons online. That means American artillery that it's already
using anti ship missiles that could target Russian ships blockading
the largest ports and multiple U. S. Officials tell me they're considering
sending the multiple launch rocket system high Mars
Ukrainian officials tell me that those weapons combined will allow
them to launch counter offensives. But an official close to the Lenski
admits to me that it's unlikely the military will be able to dislodge
the Russians from territory they already occupy. And that means that
Zelinsky will either have to cede territory, which is already ruled
out or this war will go on for a long time.
Because Russia is not going to give up the territory they've already
occupied.
And in the meantime, as you've well reported, civilians are the ones
get stuck in the middle. Absolutely. You mentioned the number of
refugees the number of displaced at the beginning of this segment.
In addition to that, Ukraine says, half a million Ukrainians have
been coerced to leave their homes and go to Russia and during my
trip
To Ukraine. Recently, I spoke to one of them a resident of Mariupol,
who's still in Russia about the destruction of his hometown in his
life before the war, two days before he lost everything. Andre student
the lobby of his club confident in the future.
We're changing his name and keeping them anonymous because he's still
living the hell. But on this day he couldn't have foreseen with grants.
He built amusement centers, The Star Wars themes, his clientele Children
on their birthdays. He had a months long waiting lists and plan to
open a third club.
And he always brought his own inner child to work. It was becoming
a successful entrepreneur, uh, like that, when you help Children
celebrate and put them in a good mood, it's a wonderful energy.
Business was a pleasure We love doing this. We spoke to him via Skype
from Ukraine. When you do what you love. It gives you joy.
What happened when the war began.
E. Patong did not believe until the last moment that they would bombard
the city center that they would start attacking residential buildings.
I didn't believe it until it was too late Russia reduced Mariupol
to ruins what used to be a portable 400,000 residents.
Became a city that belonged to the dead.
Officials say the siege killed at least 20,000 people.
The bombardment was relentless, only safe space was underground.
And for Andre, that meant the club for celebration became a shelter
from war
treatment
there for 43 days, 43 days, But it seemed like an eternity. Sometimes
in normal life. You don't notice when a day or a week passes.
But when we were down there every hour seemed like a whole day.
Approximately a week after it started, the lights went off the gas.
Then, after a while, the city was reduced to ruins. And it was impossible
to buy anything anywhere. We all saw dead people lying around. We
had a headless man lying at the entrance to our neighborhood. No
one cleared it out for a week. The whole city was covered with corpses.
Andre photograph departments now bombed markets now burned a city
almost entirely powerless, trying to maintain hope he's smiling behind
the blur.
How did you end up, leaving Marie?
So what? We lived through a situation where there was no longer anything
left to bombard the humanitarian corridors into Russia opened up
they were safe.
I heard that some made it through the front line towards Ukrainian
held territory, but it was dangerous people left in convoys and these
convoys were shot at, so we had to leave for Russia because I didn't
see another safe option. On April, the eighth, Andre, his wife and
Children traveled in a Russian controlled convoy north toward Miccosukee
through Russian filtration.
Phil
Hoad Institution you filtration takes two weeks. People wait their
turn their screen on various subjects and on any connections to the
military. God forbid they find any Ukrainian regalia would be led
away and not everyone comes back. On April 30th, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had received requests for assistance.
And evacuating 2.8 million people to Russia. But at a G seven meeting
earlier this month, Ukrainian president
Zelensky compared Russia to World War two Germany
The deportation of more than 500,000. Ukrainians to Russia, and the
so called filtration camps are imitations of the deportations and
concentration camps that the Nazis organized in Europe. So the
Convention is adopted.
By this assembly by unanimous vote in response to that Nazi genocide
after World War two and the members of the General Assembly unanimously
signed a genocide convention defines genocide as intent to destroy
a group in whole or in part and highlights forcibly transferring
Children of the group to another group.
Ukraine says that's what Russia's doing today. Andre, his wife and
his Children were taken across the Russian border to tug on Rog.
As
there is a tent camp where refugees are accommodated and fed. There
are many volunteers who understand the situation and help people.
But back in Mariupol, his grandparents and his wife's entire family
had stayed behind, so he returned to rescue them
compared the destruction to share a noble
Blood. His own apartment had taken a direct hit. This used to be
the kitchen. This was his bedroom just outside Russian troops, whom
Andre says our bridal
bullet. Sheila's, uh, When I went to the city the second time I had
to go through filtration
could pay money to go through an expedited process.
Usually it takes two weeks for people to go through it. It took me
one day They copy your phone contact list. They check all of your
social media. Take a photograph. Take your fingerprints. You feel
like a prisoner. He retrieved his exhausted in laws and his grandmother
who behind the Blur shares his smile.
You'll be doing. We did the right thing to leave because most of
the survivors cling to the remnants of their property and their memories
of the city as it once was. There will be nothing there in the coming
years and will not be quick to restore it from scratch.
Today. He and his family live in the Russian city of Krasnodar, with
tens of thousands of displaced Ukrainians forced to live in a city
of three quarters of a million Russians.
Morally impossible. I must deal with a lot of people here are against
what is happening. A lot of people hug us and cry and talk to us
and say We understand what's going on. But there's nothing we can
do. There is huge anger at the government haven't been issued any
documents and I don't want them. I don't want documents from a country
that destroyed your city and your life.
A life that felt limitless two days before the invasion today, like
his hometown, destroyed and controlled by Moscow for the PBS news
hour.
I mix Shiffrin
coverage of the war in Ukraine is supported in partnership with the