This is CNN Tonight.

I'm Jim Sudo live from Lavive, Ukraine, along with the great lorecoats in the U.S.

The Pentagon tonight says that tens of thousands of Russian troops have now amassed in the

Eastern Ukraine.

One of Putin's commanders claims their new goal is to take full control of not just the

Dumbass region in the east, but southern Ukraine to provide a land corridor to Crimea.

And perhaps go further.

Still, President Zelensky expressed hope and defiance tonight.

We will defend ourselves as long as necessary to break the same mission of the Russian

Federation, the armed forces of Ukraine continue to deter attacks by Russian invaders in the

east and south of our country.

And I'm grateful to each of our defenders who are bravely holding on.

In this new offensive, the fierce battles have already started.

They're continuing tonight in the Donetsk region.

One official there says 42 more settlements have come under Russian control, just over

the last 24 hours.

But Ukrainian forces say they are fighting to get them back.

This is the push and pull of the front lines.

The Russians also launched more air strikes on the southern port city of Mariapol earlier.

And I must have estimated 100,000 people still remain stranded in that war zone.

But another staggering number, the mayor of Mariapol told me today that he believes that

20,000 civilians have already been killed there so far, 20,000 in two months of war.

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