>>> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
I'M AARON GILCHRIST IN FOR
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN.
A DEADLY NEW ASSAULT BY RUSSIAN
FORCES IN WESTERN UKRAINE IS
HEIGHTENING FEARS AS IT BRINGS
THE WAR EVEN CLOSER TO NATO'S
DOORSTEP.
AT LEAST 35 PEOPLE WERE KILLED
AND MORE THAN 130 WERE INJURED
EARLIER TODAY AFTER UKRAINIAN
OFFICIALS SAY A RUSSIAN AIR
STRIKE HIT A MILITARY BASE ABOUT
20 MILES FROM THE POLISH BORDER.
OFFICIALS REPORT THAT AROUND 30
MISSILES POUNDED THE
INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR PEACE
KEEPING AND SECURITY NORTHWEST
OF LVIV.
THAT AREA REGULARLY HOSTS
AMERICANS, CANADIANS AND OTHER
INTERNATIONAL INSTRUCTORS WHO
HELP TO TRAIN THE UKRAINIAN
MILITARY.
NOW, NBC NEWS HAT ZS HAS NOT
INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED THE
STRIKES, BUT JAKE SULLIVAN SAID
THE U.S. WOULD INTENSIFY ITS
EFFORTS TO HELP THAT COUNTRY.
>> THERE ARE NO U.S. TROOPS
CURRENTLY OPERATING IN UKRAINE,
IN EASTERN UKRAINE OR WESTERN
UKRAINE, AND WE WILL DEFEND
EVERY INCH OF NATO TERRITORY,
BUT U.S. FORCES WILL NOT ENGAGE
RUSSIAN FORCES INSIDE UKRAINE.
THAT REMAINS TRUE TODAY.
IT REMAINS TRUE ON THE GROUND
AND IN THE SKY.
BUT WHAT WE WILL DO IS INCREASE
AND INTENSIFY OUR EFFORTS TO
SUPPLY THE UKRAINIAN DEFENDERS
WITH THE WEAPONS AND SECURITY
ASSISTANCE THEY NEED TO DEFEND
THEMSELVES.
>> THIS AS UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY WAS SEEN
VISITING WOUNDED SOLDIERS, EVEN
AWARDING THEM MEDALS IN A
HOSPITAL IN AN UNDISCLOSED
LOCATION.
THE COUNTRY'S MINISTER CALLED
FOR ADDITIONAL MILITARY SUPPORT
FROM NATO TO ARM UKRAINIANS AS
THEY FACE CONCERNS OF A POSSIBLE
CHEMICAL WEAPON ATTACK.
>> WHEN YOU ASK ME WHETHER NATO
WILL DEFEND US, WELL, WE DO NOT
EXPECT THAT.
WHAT WE ARE ASKING IS VERY
SIMPLE THING.
WE SAY, ARM UKRAINE AND WE WILL
DO THE REST.
USE ALL THE WEAPONS NECESSARY,
AND WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR OWN
LAND AND FOR OUR PEOPLE.
>> MEANWHILE, MORE THAN 2.6
MILLION REFUGEES HAVE FLED
UKRAINE.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO NEW NUMBERS
FROM THE U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY.
EFFORTS TO GET UKRAINIAN
CITIZENS OUT HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT.
THAT'S AS CEASE-FIRES HAVE NOT
BEEN HOLDING BECAUSE OF
CONTINUED RUSSIAN SHELLING IN
CITIES LIKE MARIUPOL AND IRPIN.
YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE VIDEO
HERE.
THE KROOUS STATEU.S. STATE DEPAR
CONFIRMING THE DEATH OF AN
AMERICAN JOURNALIST IN UKRAINE
TODAY.
50-YEAR-OLD FILMMAKER BRETT
RENAUD WAS KILLED BY RUSSIAN
FORCES IN A SUBURB OUTSIDE OF
THE CAPITAL CITY OF KYIV.
LET'S GET TO THE DEADLY RUSSIAN
ATTACK ON THAT MILITARY BASE.
NBC'S ALLEY AROUZI IS IN LVIV
FOR US.
WHAT NEW REPORTING DO YOU HAVE
ABOUT THE AIR STRIKE EARLIER
TODAY?
>> I CAN TELL YOU THAT LAST
NIGHT, BETWEEN OUR LIVE SHOT AT
ALMOST 6:00 A.M., MY CREW AND I
HEARD THE THUMPING OF THOSE AIR
STRIKES.
ABOUT 35 MILES WEST OF WHERE WE
WERE.
WE WERE KIND OF EXPECTING THIS
BUT NONETHELESS, IT WAS A
SURPRISE THAT IT HAD COME THIS
FAR WEST, AND THOSE MISSILES
WERE JUST SIX MILES FROM THE
POLISH BORDER, WHICH IS PRETTY
CLOSE TO NATO TERRITORY.
NOW, WE HAVE LEARNED THAT ABOUT
30 MISSILES WERE LAUNCHED INTO
THE RIVER MILITARY AIR BASE.
THE UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES HERE
SAY THAT MOST OF THOSE MISSILES
WERE INTERCEPTED, BUT THEY DID
ENOUGH DAMAGE TO KILL 30 PEOPLE,
WOUND ANOTHER 134 PEOPLE AT THAT
BASE.
AND IT'S A VERY STRATEGIC PLACE,
AARON.
AS I MENTIONED, IT'S VERY CLOSE
TO THE POLISH BORDER, SO
SUPPLIES ARE GOING TO COME IN,
THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE OBVIOUS
STOPPING POINTS.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE NATO
INSTRUCTORS AND U.S. INSTRUCTORS
IN THE PAST HAVE TRAINED
UKRAINIANS, I HAVE TO HIGHLIGHT
THERE WERE NO NATO OR U.S.
FORCES PRESENT WHEN THE PLACE
WAS HIT, AND IT'S ALSO A PLACE
WHERE A LOT OF THE VOLUNTEERS GO
TO THAT BASE TO SIGN UP AND THEN
FROM THERE GO TO THE FRONT
LINES.
SO IT WAS A BIG STRIKE THERE.
AND IT'S SHAKEN PEOPLE HERE IN
LVIV.
LVIV HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SAFE HUB
ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE
COUNTRY.
I WENT OUT TODAY.
I SPOKE TO PEOPLE.
THEY WERE VERY RATTLED THAT THIS
HAD COME THIS FAR.
YOU HAVE TO ALSO REMEMBER THERE
ARE A LOT OF DISPLACED PEOPLE
HERE IN LVIV.
I SPOKE TO ONE FAMILY.
THEY SAID THIS IS THE LAST SAFE
POINT.
THEY WERE LIVING WITH ANOTHER
FAMILY.
IF LVIV WAS TO BE HIT, THEY HAVE
NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.
>> AT THE SAME TIME, WE
MENTIONED THAT EARLIER TODAY,
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY VISITED SOME
WOUNDED SOLDIERS, UKRAINIAN
SOLDIERS, AT A HOSPITAL.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HIS VISIT
TODAY?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
HE VISITED SOME OF THESE
UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS THAT HAD BEEN
HURT AT THE HOSPITAL.
HE TOOK SELFIES WITH THEM.
HE HANDED OUT 106 MEDALS FOR
HEROISM TO THEM.
17 OF THEM POSTHUMUSLY, AND YOU
SPEAK TO PEOPLE HERE, IT'S A
HUGE MORALE BOOST, NOT JUST FOR
THE SOLDIERS BUT FOR THE PEOPLE
HERE.
YOU KNOW, ZELENSKYY HAS BEEN A
BIG MORAL SUPPORT FOR THIS
COUNTRY.
A LOT OF THE PEOPLE YOU SPEAK TO
HERE, THEY WILL TELL ME BEFORE
THAT THEY DIDN'T REALLY SUPPORT
ZELENSKYY WHEN HE GOT ELECTED.
THEY WERE VERY SKEPTICAL ABOUT
HIM WHEN HE WAS FIRST PRESIDENT,
BUT HE IS THE MAN OF THE HOUR,
HE IS THE MAN THEY NEEDED HERE.
HE'S BEEN GIVING A LOT OF
MORALE, A LOT OF SUPPORT.
THEY'RE VERY ENCOURAGED BY HIS
SPEECHES.
SO EVERYBODY WAS REALLY HAPPY TO
SEE HIM AT THAT HOSPITAL, TAKING
SELFIES WITH THE SOLDIERS,
HANDING OUT MEDALS.
BIG MORALE BOOST FOR THE PEOPLE
AND THE PEOPLE FIGHTING ON THE
FRONT LINES.
>> I ALSO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
SOME OF THE KIDNAPPINGS WE HAVE
BEEN HEARING ABOUT.
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SAID LAST
WEEK THAT RUSSIA HAD ENTERED A
NEW STAGE OF TERROR THERE.
HE ACCUSED RUSSIAN FORCES OF
ABDUCTING THE MAYOR OF ONE CITY,
ANOTHER MAYOR HAS BEEN
KIDNAPPED, ACCORDING TO
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO LEARN
ABOUT THE KIDNAPPINGS?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
THIS SECOND MAYOR WAS APPARENTLY
KIDNAPPED AROUND 8:30 THIS
MORNING BY RUSSIAN FORCES.
IF THAT IS CONFIRMED, HE'S THE
SECOND MAYOR TO HAVE BEEN
KIDNAPPED SINCE FRIDAY.
UKRAINE OFFICIALS ARE SAYING
THAT THIS IS A TERRORISM TACTIC,
TO RATTLE THE POPULATION OF
THESE TOWNS AND TO INSTALL A
PUPPET REGIME AT A SORT OF A LOW
LEVEL BASES IN THESE SMALL
PLACES.
THEY HAVE SAID THAT THE MAYOR
THAT WAS ABDUCTED ON FRIDAY HAS
NOW BEEN GIVEN TERRORISM CHARGES
BY THE RUSSIANS.
THE MAN IS NOW IN RUSSIAN
CUSTODY.
WE HAVE SEEN VIDEO OF HIM BEING
LED AWAY BLINDFOLDED BY THE
RUSSIANS.
THE UKRAINIANS HAVE SAID THAT
THE RUSSIANS HAVE NOW INSTALLED
ANOTHER MAYOR, BUT THE PEOPLE IN
THE CITY WERE VERY DEFY NLT WHEN
HE WAS TAKEN AWAY, COMING OUT,
PROTESTING, CHANTING AGAINST THE
RUSSIANS.
THIS IS -- THE UKRAINIANS ARE
SAYING THESE ARE TERROR TACTICS