low sam, bake madagascar still seeing some wet weather and noticed some very heavy rain coming into south africa over the next couple of days with the biscuit flooding. ah, ah. russian forces target the largest nuclear power plant in europe, causing it to catch fire, but just diverting a disaster usually we will take you made if there is an explosion, that's the end. but every one, the end for europe, the evacuation of europe. ah, although i'm come all santa maria here in doha, continuing coverage on al jazeera of the russia ukraine. we are 9 days into this conflict and rushes,

sluggish military convoy still stove on the outside outskirts of the ukrainian capital. the scars of battle, we will hear from civilians, court and heavy shelling of homes around these and city of how to keep the you agreed to offer protection to refugees with residency of up to 2 years more people flee the fighting hello. when a potential disaster has been averted at europe's largest nuclear power plant in just the past few hours, ukraine's foreign minister, as well as an official at the shop at his yet facility, in the se, se the has been a fire. after came under attack from russian forces, russia now controls the site off to heavy shilling in the early hours of friday. the latest details in this report from the a having a fire fight at europe's biggest nuclear power plant. and a fire that burns for more than an hour before firefighters can put it out. resist

that you all do as a result of strikes, there is a fire at the nuclear power plant. i repeat, as a result of strikes by russian federation forces on the nuclear power plant, a fire as erupt into the town mayor, pleading for the fighting to stop. when i ask you to come to your senses and immediately stop firing at the nuclear power plant, ukraine's president issues a dire warning of the consequences of the attack. you wouldn't, we will say commit team if there is an explosion, that's the end for everyone. the end of europe, the evacuation of europe and the urgent action by europe can stop the russian troops and not allow the death of europe from a catastrophe at a nuclear power station. firefighters were eventually granted access to the site and put the fire out, taking up or we have to great connection even of itself, won't lead to an accident. but it is the removal of one layer or defense for the

plant and what that to ation there. ready is a concerning the high chance that those are the layers of defense will be stripped away as well. the nuclear facility is 6 reactors, are located near the town of enter, goldar, an area contested by the russian military and its separatist allies. the nuclear plant has been the sight of defiant resistance by ordinary ukrainians using themselves as human shields to keep russian troops away. the reality of a nuclear disaster is all too real to these people. in 1986, this year noble nuclear plant exploded thousands of people dying of the consequences of radiation and leaving a huge area of the country uninhabitable to this day. it is one of only 2 nuclear energy accidents rated at the maximum severity. the other being the 2011 for the shima disaster in japan were very, really, i think possibly you know what to spend

a lot of time doing over the last couple of years has been to put an anti terrorism renovation. that's a very soon so perhaps that's what protected the ukraine in this instance as well. to fire maybe out. but the war around it rages on lead. harding al jazeera k, he is natasha butler in levine. now near the border with paul. and this is quite something, isn't it? you know, if it's strategic areas are going to be targeted in a war, but a nuclear power plant. my goodness. yeah, i'm an extremely worrying indeed. and we have learned to her recently in the past few moments that it seems that a russian troops had seized control of that nuclear power plant that comes from a regional authorities, a regional ukrainian authorities. are we still trying to get more details on exactly what that means and whether or not it is confirmed, but

a very tense and difficult night? ukrainian authorities are saying that the power point has been secured now, but only after many hours in which a fire was burning in that plant. after it was attacked by a russian forces. ukrainian fire fighters were not able to get anywhere close to it to the beginning, to put out the place because they were being fired upon a by russian troops. that's what ukrainian officials a say they did. finally, they managed to extinguish the blaze, but only after some time we understand that a generating unit had been hit inside the plant. but as i said, the site now now apparently safe, apparently secure, but condemnation, really for many world leaders, joe biden, boris johnson. but also, of course, vladimir sa lensky saying that russia was now using nuclear terror that it was threatening not just ukraine, of course, but also the whole of europe,

ukraine's foreign minister, the metro caliber saying that a radiation league form this plant, europe's largest, could be 10 times worse than chernobyl. cash. that hush, i know it's a large conflict with a lot of things happening. but can you sort of run us through some of the other developments from other places in the country? mario po, for example. yeah, another of cause for a frightening, very difficult night for people across ukraine, particularly in these areas where fighting has intensified in the east and the south in the south. or you mentioned that port of mario pull. it is a key strategic port. it is located on the see of as often residents and authorities are saying it is now a city under siege with constant, a russian shelling they are say, 30 water heating, electricity supplies of all been cut. it is the winter. here it is extremely cold and you can only imagine that is going to be an incredibly difficult situation for

the people there as they are huddled in basement. and the most appalling conditions in the city of care on another strategic port not far from crimea on the black sea that paul was seized by russian troops on thursday. but we also understand from authorities there that they are talking about 3 days left of medical supplies, the same in places like car keith gone to constant shelling. it is a humanitarian disaster unfolding. we understand that humanitarian corridors could be put in place by ukrainian. i and after ukrainian and russian negotiators agreed on bass on thursday, but when that will happen, well, obviously for the people in the ground, not soon enough me of course. thank you natasha. but with the update from levine, russia and ukraine making some hints that there is some progress in the talks both sides at least agreeing on the need for humanitarian car doors. and touching the no indication on when they would be established to help civilians escape the war. the delegations met and belarus for talks aimed at stopping the fighting. but even as

the negotiators that met russian forces continued to target, major ukrainian cities thousands of ought to have either been killed or wounded since russia invaded more than a week ago. here's jonah hull, with the other developments. the major ukrainian cities are surrounded and under constant attack. this chair need a city of textile factories, churches and monasteries. its greatest misfortune to lie on the root of russia's advance from the north. east and city of her keith, to people wake daily to scenes of terrible destruction and a fast rising civilian death. toll look what food it is doing. this is a war crime committed. again. this is the clarity of

this city of one and a half 1000000 people. most ethnic russians is being torn apart by russian forces for no reason. other than that it exists just across the border from russia in ukraine was a kid i saw you. and in the far south ukraine's biggest port, odessa, he's under threat to hear frantic efforts have been underway for days to build defences against a possible leech landing multiple vessels belonging to russia's black sea fleet. hover on the horizon, including lending ships and support craft, were ukraine's military is very much still in this fight, reinforced by supplies of weapons from abroad. they've been able to apply real pressure to the russian advance, slowing the progress of a vast column of armor, artillery and soldiers heading for the capital cave. along its route,

once sleepy commuter towns lie in ruins, a foretaste of what may be in store for keep the apparent aim to encircle the city and besiege it. from his bunker under heavy guard, president followed him at zelinski wages, a relentless communications campaign, rallying resistance, and calling in foreign support. robberies process never used, but we have been seen this for a long time that ukraine is seeking for protections for our home soil and our own people by such protections have not been provided for european countries assist us with the wage of migration. however, we should discuss the guarantees that are required to protect our country, our home soil, and our people. a 2nd round of talks on thursday between russia and ukraine at a location on the border with bell roofs came with low expectations of a breakthrough, but a slim glimmer of hope that their taking place at all. the

ukrainian government, meanwhile, has called for humanitarian corridors to be set up. and here in the western city of the leave, volunteers are hard at work processing a donations medicines, clothes, food, and other essentials for distribution across the country. there is a humanitarian crisis erupting on multiple fronts, not just the internally displaced who left everything behind in a scramble for safety across the country's borders as more than a 1000000 have done since the invasion began, but also huge populations in urban centers trap. terrified and desperate for health . civilian morale will vary now in a population increasingly terrorized. there'll be desperation in some places, determination, in others, o,

a spontaneous rendition of the national anthem at that age station in leave. it is becoming ever clearer that the struggle is not just for personal survival, but so the survival of the nation as a whole. joan a whole al jazeera movies. right. let's discuss the military side of things with puddle feld and hard defense and military analyst, and columnist with the russian newspaper nevaeh gazette, a with us on skype from moscow. thank you for your time. as always, i want to start by talking about the convoy the now infamous convoy. we've got the latest pictures of it, which were running 40 miles long and apparently stalled not going anywhere. have you got any thoughts on why that is? why would this huge military column just be sitting there for 4 days? one of the ways they're just simply stuck in the months, so to speak. the d no, a spring has come to these parts of ukraine. of the snow is melting,

and so they're stuck to this. so the narrow a winding road and can't venture out into the fields and spread out because even tanks get stuck in that mud. and that's of it there. so they're, they're in the pickle they are actually a, so it's a car, it's a traffic jam on the inside of the enemy. nothing good there. of course, your premiums also can't go over those fields. because right now, the ras poochie of the spring i saw as is coming. there is going to be more water in the creeks and rivers. the, there's going to be dirt the russian. and it was a big mistake for the russian military to go in. so late, they should have done so not in the end of february, but most likely at the end of january. they wouldn't of run into these problems.

these problems are not so acute at all in the south. it's not a dryer place. and but in the north, this is very seriously hampering the russian a fan. so because you can't go off, roads and roads are bad and you cray, their narrow and there's not many of them here. it's not europe. okay, that's in that respect. okay, that's very interesting. ok, let's move on to some other issues than and now i think we have to talk about this targeting of the nuclear power plant. i said to correspond an earlier, it is obvious that strategic facilities like power plants would be targeted. but to actually fire on a nuclear facility, is that not incredibly reckless? well, you know, it's not sir strategic facilities. it's specifically the nuclear power plants of ukraine that, than been there been orders to take them over all of them. and they're so russian troops are given orders to take them over the ukrainians,

didn't post any regular army units or near. these are a power plant we're talking about so specifically not to have a big back. oh, but the local population, they do offer some resistance, mostly peaceful, neither wearing the russians in, and they got desperate than maids and began firing shots. so with the in moscow, they believed that there the, the power plants are a very big danger. and of course, they are of any kind of terrorist they believe at tag by ukrainian nationalists. so to take their mo and or under control all nuclear facilities, they began with the cher novel, defunct, her, a former or power plant. but those are taking on the acting ones that take her back to the point i made that you're right, taking over a power plant show, i can understand that as, as, as a tactic for russia, but firing on it, it's

a nuclear facility. you don't, what i mean that, that, that, that the risk for a, an accident, a terrible accident has got to be very, very high. it is well that the troops are given orders of the data, then are given additional orders to go and do the job. and the russian soldiers, they follow the orders to the fire was not the facility itself, but the adjacent training a building that didn't really so there this fire in itself did not that much threat nuclear disaster. but yes, this is a very dangerous thing. the russian command command given to the russian soldiers are increasingly ruthless to use bond force power falcon. her defense in military analysts. thank you for your time. we appreciate it today. thank you. our coverage continues in a moment. we will speak to new york's ukrainian community,

one of the biggest outside of europe, about what they're doing to make themselves heard. ah hello, we've got some very when she was pushing into se and parts. if here pat them, i mean favorite, a cloud, his whirling away through turkey was the black sea into you crime. and that will bring a fair road mix of rain, sleet, and snow over the next couple of days. central parts or the other hand, marcy drive, got high pressure in charge and then we got these weather systems pushing in from the atlantic, bringing some milder air, some wet weather, but as it bumps into our high it will, grassy. we can that rain as you can see that pushing its way in, across the england world, passing through scotland, brightest guy coming, backing behind for island. still some wet weather there, down into where france. little bit wet weather,

welcome rainfall making its way in across sir. good parts of spain and portugal where to whether fully mediterranean, as we go on through saturday, snow clearing away from my turkey by the state, still some winter weather into that east, inside of your credit, or a cold just 0 celsius. therefore kiev, as we go on into, were sat day and on into a sunday. meanwhile, across the northern parts of africa, the showers we have across the med, we'll just bring a little bit of wet weather into northern parts of libya, some west or whether that's the one, the spilling out to spain and portugal sliding its way across morocco. through algeria as to west africa, the showers here becoming little more widespread. ah frank assessments for china. well banished from the 0 call it strategy if the rest of the world cannot get to get informed opinions at all costs luckiest on needs. and on fridays on that statement,

critical debate with claims that nato constitutes an interesting chill threat to russia, but it's precisely his actions that's rated this insecurity in the region. in depth analysis of the days global headlines inside story on al jazeera lou aah! on al jazeera, these are the latest developments out of ukraine. emergency services say a fire, it's your, it's largest nuclear power plant has been extinguished. craning, present, accused russian forces of knowingly firing at the plant. there are also reports that russian troops have now seized control of the facility. the will russia and ukraine appeared with made some progress in the talks. both sides agreed on the

needful humanitarian corridors, at least, but there was no indication of when those would be established to help civilians escape the war, and fighting is intensifying in the mean time russian forces have surrounded the city of mario pulled, official se was, has been cut off, food is in short, supply and dozens of people have been killed. right, let's get into some reports now from our correspondence, the eastern city of ukraine elva how to keep festival in ukraine was one of russia's 1st targets. despite heavy shelling and its proximity to the russian border, it is still under ukrainian control. but many of the cities, 1500000 residents have fled. shall stratford is in the village of yucca lyrica. not far from corrective and just a wanting, his report does contain graphic images. maxime was at home with his girlfriend when the shells started crashing into his village, shrapnel ripped through his all and face. no, it happened so quickly,

the explosions, i heard something flying over us. i was covered up to my waist and rubble and something started burning. i tried to free myself. then i tried to get my girlfriend. i was so weak. i couldn't pull her out. emergency services rescued. maxine's girlfriend, she's suffering heavy concussion and is too weak to talk. the bodies of 3 civilians lie in the morgue. a woman died in the operating theatre as doctors tried to save her life. this woman who was afraid to talk on camera, says russian soldiers let her family escape. but as they drove away a bullet ripped through her husband's hand, oh, why did they tell us everything would be okay. why wasn't there an evacuation? she says we drive to the village was the sound of shelling and machine gun fire in the distance. the shells it slammed into houses on the side of this hill. piles of rubble lined the street. at least 30 homes were destroyed. heavy rushing,

shelling of this village last night at least 3 people were killed. a number of others injured. we understand that there are people still in the village. or we've just heard shelling in the distance and machine gun far in the forest on the way. thousands of cars, many of them filled with terrified families, fleece south from clark, if many of the cause of a sign reading children on the windscreen. desperate attempt to protect those inside we are leaving everything behind us. we have been trying for 5 days to get out, but couldn't because of the shell image when it simply hell we are going to new pro . and after that, we don't know. lexi shows us his car that was damaged when a russian rocket landed close to his home. michael had just spoken to friends in khaki. if they tell me it's worse than yesterday, they are shelling civilian areas. so many buildings are on fire. over the, for people who painted over road signs with angry insults directed towards russian

president vladimir putin. an expectation of a russian army advance. this one reads, welcome to hell cha, stuff and al jazeera yackel live ukraine. the european union has agreed to offer protection for refugees from ukraine. they'll be given residency rights for up to 2 years, because more than a 1000000 people have now fled in just the last wait, poland taken in half of them. the infrastructure has report from the ukranian town of shania. romano is from kirk, he's a city of ruin from russia. he's at the border to let go of everything he loves. turned back alone and joined the fight and feelings in his fear. confusion, hate anger. i don't even know what feeling is i need to send my family to safety

for the next. next everything will be all right. we will win for sure. nothing else . we will save our country. everything will be all right. you don't have to know what he's saying to understand how he feels a country torn into small villages and towns like this. what are the last hurdle to safety for the hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children amassing at poland or the last checkpoint, the last line. alas, chance to say goodbye. the lucky ones, board buses bound for cities in europe and others wait. this line is long, but it is still moving a week into this conflict and the crowd, the traffic, the, the line at this border crossing it's much smaller and the system is getting across

into pulling seems much more organized, much more efficient, but no less tragic for the people that are leaving their country behind ukrainians trying to get to safety, say they feel bad by the international community. they know health is coming, but not enough to stop russian invaders destroying their cities, their homes, their lives. the mim, i'm for city not to. i'm not my persist ukrainians are going to nato, but not to. it's not here in the ukraine. we need real help, armor weapons, thomas, and who are army needs to do. we need to weapons and there's no weapons in ukraine that would really destroy the russians. each of these women have a husband or father or brother fighting to defend their cities or on the front line . they say they will never leave and help other ukrainians. however, they came at a place that divides 2 countries. ukrainian families are being forced to define themselves. women move forward to preserve the countries future. men go back to

make sure they have a home to come back to the in basra b o g 0. she again, you, ukraine from the people displaced by the fighting. have found their way to ne pro in central ukraine, the house and public buildings for 3 nights before i have to move on. how to do, how made is this. she is spoken to ukraine as you have for now. escape the russian assault. some of the ladies evacuees somehow to keep and among them, some of the most vulnerable of the city, still shaken by their ordeal. people like all this was gone to the 51 day before the war broke out and was stuck there for a week. the but we stayed in the shell, she was a clinic looks and people helped and delivered food yesterday. we tried to leave my train of and in my condition it was difficult to move while we did the body still

is the look what you have done. your animals, are you happy now that will now those were anesthetic as last words as she was leaving her. she is 7 months pregnant and was stuck in the basement in the south east part of the city. her neighbourhood came under shelly in the very 1st moments of the russian assault and was completely surrounded kitty missing from the shouting among them near again. we were afraid we had to leave because in 2 months i had to give birth and it would have been impossible. the maternity hospital has been hit. so you have to give birth to your child in the bomb shelter. the metro or the basement. you can only reach the doctor by phone for the rest you are on your own. i don't know where i will give birth. stories of fear and escape are common to all those who made it to the school in the village on the outskirts of the me pro. this is just

a transit point. people can stay here for 3 days. have a rest, pick up, some clean clothes, whatever other necessities they need. but then they have to start movie again, going west joining those hundreds of thousands already on the road, trying to reach the closest border. the journey ahead is still very long. not easy for women travelling alone with children. it took mass jan. 9 hours to get here. she fed lou hand screeching in eastern ukraine after her village came under shelling in the early hours of the morning. she was to return home. but her like elaina doesn't know who will be in control of her hometown, after russia recognize this cell, proclaim republics of the nets. and once you're close to shut no, not the mustang, we have no way to return. my mom and sister is still there. we can get them out as soon as we do, we will leave, i don't know where to as hundreds of thousands of ukrainians fleet to neighboring

countries. more people on the move from east in ukraine, among them, many ethnic russians which moscow claimed it wanted to protect hood abdul hamid al jazeera in eastern you crave only one of the largest populations of ukrainians outside of eastern europe is in new york city. and gabriel alexander has been speaking to members of that community. ola road yak, is ukrainian american artist who divides her time between kiva new york. since rushes invasion. she spent most of the time in local protests and waiting for news of her friends and family back home ukraine, including her husband, he, us citizen, who managed to escape to romania. we love ukraine very loyalty, ukraine and he doesn't want to desert his people. he wanted to stay as long as possible, but he also knew he could do a lot from being over. the border was so good,

pretty restaurant in the heart of the village has long been an enclave for the diaspora. the 3rd generation ukrainian, american owner, summed up the move. we're starting, we're, we're frightened, we're concerned we're angry or upset. it's just really a very difficult time for the restaurant has become an unofficial meeting spot for those who want to show support for ukraine. just down the street from the restaurant, new york ukrainian museum, its director, feels the museum has been given added importance in the wake of platinum, your pollutants comment that ukraine is quote, not a real country. ukraine is a separate country, has its own history, has its own culture protests against the russian invasion of ukraine or daily occurrences in new york home to an.