this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. russia steps up its bombardment of large parts of ukraine, as nato warns the conflict, is about to get worse. we'll be reporting from inside the country's second biggest city, harkeev, where residential buildings have been reduced to rubble, by constant russian shelling. this is so far from normal it's hard to describe. the people have no idea what they're going to do next. europe's largest nuclear plant is shelled by russian forces overnight. the fires are under under control. ukraine says moscow is resorting to "nuclear terror".

the russian tanks knew what they were firing at. they directly hit the plant. this is terror on an unprecedented level. and at ukraine's borders, the refugee queues grow longer, more and more people are trying to flee. the united nations security council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the way in which russian forces captured ukraine's biggest nuclear power plant. the un's political affairs chief has said attacks on nuclear power facilities are contrary to international humanitarian law. the zaporistzia facility was shelled this morning triggering a fire. the authorities say the site is secure and radiation levels are normal. the ukrainian foreign ministry say several people have been killed and injured. the plant is in the south east of the country

and the biggest in europe. president zelensky has accused moscow of resorting to "nuclear terror" and urged russians to protest. russia has escalated its air campaign against ukrainian cities throughout the last 2a hours. an official in the besieged port of mariupol has accused russia of trying to force it to surrender by creating a humanitarian crisis. he said the city was being shelled continuously. it's facing a third day without water, electricity, or proper sanitation. kharkiv in the north east has been reduced to rubble. and ukraine says at least 50 people were killed by russian air strikes in the northern city of chern—i—hiv the polish border guard agency has confirmed more than 672,500 people have fled ukraine to poland since the war began last week more than 99 thousand people crossed the border yesterday. meanwhile, the nato alliance has rejected calls from kyiv for it to impose

a no—fly zone over ukraine, saying this could lead to a wider war with russia. our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford has this special report from inside kharkhiv, which has been bombarded by russian forces this week. as we drove into kharkiv, it looked like half the city was heading out. a flow of families who have endured days of bombs and explosions. many wrote the word "children" on their cars, hoping they wouldn't be targeted. a few miles on, others stood with bundles of belongings, waiting for a bus to take them out, any bus to anywhere. svetlana told me shells had been adding close to her home. i asked how she's coping. she said isn't. it's been a week with barely any sleep. this is what is keeping kharkiv away, two days ago there were homes

and businesses here. we saw no sign of any military facility. just more destruction across the road at the local shops. and men searching for medicine among the ruins to use for soldiers. it is scary but this is our city, maxim tells me. we don't want to run anywhere. so, ukraine's second city has moved underground. their whole lives now playing out on these platforms. and on trains that stopped when the war began. above ground, shops are running out of food. down here, people live of hand—outs. i really... it's scaring myself and my family... so, we take documents and just came here. so, now, thousands of people are living underground like this here in kharkiv for more than a week now. and the parents are trying to make

it as normal as possible for their children. they've brought toys, they getting food down here, but this is so farfrom normal, it's kind of hard to even describe. and these people have no idea what they're going to do next. this family has been down here for three whole days now. translation: we hope that the best but we are prepared for the _ worst. at least we have food and air and the children are ok. - the power is down in this region, so we found people tapping into the mains from the metro in the underpass. charging their phones, a vital connection to the outside world. these couples had surfaced for air because they said the concentration of grief underground was too much to bear. translation: it's scary because we don't know what's coming tomorrow. nothing is changing here. nothing is happening. kharkiv has already suffered so much but it fears this

war has barely started. a city of russian speakers, who can't fathom why russia is now destroying their lives and their houses. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kharkiv. russian forces are steadily making gains in this war, as urban areas are cut off by troops. in the city of mariupol, in the south, which is under siege, the mayor says food is running out and there's no water, heating or electricity. the russian advance is also gaining momentum, to the east and north, with continued shelling and artillery fire. jeremy bowen has more. across ukraine, russia is trying to bring its strength to bear. this was north—west of the capital. not much is left standing in one of kyiv�*s

satellite stands. fierce ukrainian resistance. the russian�*s army answer to that is fire power. and after a night of fighting much further south, russia has seized the nuclear power plant at zaporizhzhia, the biggest in europe. the reactor is safe, but it's hard to imagine a worse place for a firefight. kiva railway station is the gateway to relative safety far west near the polish border. and it's the start of the separations. no one knows how long they'll be apart. 50,000 people a day crowd the lviv mac platform, almost all women and children. translation: i'm really worried| about my three kids and i want to come back. but now i'm very scared. people shout.

ahead up to 12 hours ground into an overcrowded carriage on the most uncertain journey of their lives. the people who couldn't fight their way on board waited for the next one. they grabbed what mattered most to them and there's the pain of parting, all the heartbreak of the war was on alexander's face, he just put his wife and two small children on the train. he wouldn't let go of a toy ambulance his eight—year—old son has given him as he said goodbye. men have to stay to fight. this man used a map to translate for us his attempt to reassure his wife. to translate for us his attempt , used an app. to translate for us his attempt she also asked me to leave. to translate for us his attempt i said we will fight to the end, it will be easier for us to

fight when you are safe. no one knows theirjourney's end. the evacuees or their husbands and fathers they left behind. on the edge of kyiv, some volunteers are in position are still trying to get organised. the professionals are better armed and trained, are closer to the front. kyiv is the biggest symbol of ukrainian independence and that makes it the biggest target for the russian army. they are still a reasonable distance in that direction. the city is there. it's big and its sprawling and in a lot of people's minds here at the moment is the question of whether president putin will order the kind of assault on the capital that he is ordered on cities elsewhere in the country. first lesson for the new soldiers — loading bullets into a magazine.

most at this territorial defence centre where boys of 18 and i9. i am study economy. and i am studying biology. they have the same patriotism, courage and sense of invincibility of other generations of young men, who volunteered to fight in europe's wars. their parents will pray they don't learn the same brutal lessons. the older men were more apprehensive. they shout together on the bus, they all cheered for victory and death to their enemies. jeremy bowen, bbc news. as we've been hearing, the attack on the zapu—reesha nuclear power plant has led to global condemnation. there's no indication of increased levels of radiation in the area, but the international nuclear watchdog, says it's deeply concerned. our science correspondent,

victoria gill, now takes a look at what those concerns, might be. warfare at a nuclear power plant. the blaze, which was quickly extinguished, was in a training facility. and, critically, it didn't affect any of the six nuclear reactors. the reactor building complex is about a kilometre long and now only one of the reactors is reported to be operating, with the rest safely shut down. we, of course, are fortunate that there was no release of radiation and that the integrity of the reactors in themselves was not compromised. ukrainian emergency crews tackled the fire, but nuclear experts say the situation is still precarious. we're not looking at another chernobyl accident, but the primary concern here is that the electricity supply gets cut off, it stops the pumps from working

that cool the reactor. and if that were to happen, the nuclearfuel inside would melt down, so it's really important that the russian forces and the ukrainian forces stop firing in the direction of the power stations. this loss of cooling was what caused the nuclear disaster at fukushima injapan in 2011. but while that was triggered by a natural disaster, a tsunami, the invasion of ukraine has brought conflict close to working nu clear rea cto i’s . with the russians now controlling the site, the immediate danger has passed. but concern remains over why a nuclear plant was a military target. victoria gill, bbc news. for more on this i am now joined by tariq rauf. he is the former head of verification and security policy for the international atomic energy agency. we have heard this incident being

described as irresponsible. either was your thoughts as well? yes. t -|n~ was your thoughts as well? yes. t an: it was your thoughts as well? yes. typing it is _ was your thoughts as well? yes. typing it is reprehensible - was your thoughts as well? 133 typing it is reprehensible that the russian military forces attacked a fudgy —— functioning nuclear power plant which would affect not only the immediate environment but also potentially countries nearby. you have intimate _ potentially countries nearby. you have intimate knowledge of what is involved in nuclear plants like this. how vulnerable is it at this moment? ~ . ~ . this. how vulnerable is it at this moment? ~ ., ~ , ., this. how vulnerable is it at this moment? ., ~ ., , moment? with all kinds of artillery shells and missiles _ moment? with all kinds of artillery shells and missiles firing _ moment? with all kinds of artillery shells and missiles firing around, l shells and missiles firing around, nuclear power plants can be vulnerable because they are not designed to withstand a full frontal military assault. there are basically designed to survive a small plane crashing into the dome or a small group of terrorists attacking a power plant and the local defence voice and security force on the premises would be able to deal with them. but when we have

an army attacking a nuclear power plant that's completely different issue and we my serious problem i think. �* , , ., ., ., issue and we my serious problem i think. 2 , ., ., ., . think. there's been a lot of concern about the ramifications _ think. there's been a lot of concern about the ramifications of - think. there's been a lot of concern about the ramifications of the - about the ramifications of the attack on this plant but there are people working inside the plans as well, what sort of conditions would they be working in the morning? according to the briefing and invited to make the general and also what the ukrainian ambassador stated that the security council meeting this afternoon in new york the operators in the control rooms have not been able to change their ships from more than a day or so because of this the day would be very tired and especially from the control room in our armed russian soldiers hanging around another level of stress to already tired operators who have to be alert to monitor all the safety and control systems of an

operating reactor or even if it is shut down to make sure it that the cooling plants are working in all cooling plants are working in all cooling systems and safety systems up cooling systems and safety systems up and running. cooling systems and safety systems up and running-— up and running. thank you for shafinu up and running. thank you for sharing your _ up and running. thank you for sharing your thoughts - up and running. thank you for sharing your thoughts with - up and running. thank you for| sharing your thoughts with us. up and running. thank you for - sharing your thoughts with us. still to come, we will have more on the humanitarian situation in ukraine and exported areas which is getting steadily worse. as western foreign ministers met in brussels, our diplomatic correspondent asked the us secretary of state, antony blinken, whether he thought vladimir putin was rational: all i can do is two things, gauge russia and president putin by their actions and do everything we can to respond effectively. but here's one thing we do know. what's extraordinary is the extent to which virtually everything president putin over the years has said he wants to prevent, he has

in fact precipitated by his actions. we have seen the very alliance that he wants to try to blow apart, nato, coming together in ways that we haven't seen in years or even decades. the ukrainian people that he wants to subjugate united in their opposition to russia. in 2014, before russia first went into ukraine, the crimea, to the donbas, attitudes in ukraine about russia were largely positive. now, roughly 90% of people in ukraine hate russia because what he has done. the humanitarian situation just gets worse, day by day, hour by hour. the united nations is now warning that on top of the one million refugees who've already fled,

millions more could be forced from this country, if the fighting is prolonged. this map shows the extent of the exodus. the larger the arrows, the greater the population flow. refugees are crossing into neighbouring countries to the west. more than 100,000 people have fled to moldova, and our correspondent lucy williamson reports from the palanca border crossing point, about 30 miles from the ukrainian port city of odessa. when odesa flinches, palanca catches the blow. the fear in ukraine's southern city is reflected in the queues, the emotions spilling out at this once little—known border post. a bus to an emergency shelter oversubscribed. an official loses control. "there's a five—year—old waiting," he shouts, "move back." svetlana had been waiting for a visa tojoin her husband in the uk. with the conflict spreading and her passport stuck at the british embassy in lviv,

she's crossed into moldova without it. "it is impossible to understand what has happened," she said. "we're living in the 21st century. "people are just hoping for the best and holding on to the end." katya also arrived today from odesa with her sister and three children after they saw a ship destroyed in a huge explosion. translation: the kids were asking, "what's going on?" and we said it was fireworks. what are you going to say to a kid? you can't tell them i it's a war out there. video from odesa this week showed the men behind filling sandbags, ready for a russian invasion. russian landing craft were spotted off the coast yesterday. and today, at odesa's train station, panic. the numbers here are being driven by russian operations in the south of ukraine.

this border is squeezed between two separate wings of ukrainian territory. the refugee agencies here say that if odesa comes under attack, these numbers will surge again. the eu's head of foreign affairs says this migrant crisis could dwarf the last one europe faced, in 2015. in 2015—16, europe was shocked by one million people coming from syria. now, in four days, we already have almost one million people. and ukraine has a0 million people. if the russians continue bombing the city in the way they are doing, if we're ukrainian, what do we do? each day at palanca, thousands make that same calculation. the same half—solution to war. crossing a border might protect you from danger, it doesn't always protect you from fear. lucy williamson, bbc news, moldova.

let's get more now on the humamitarian situation in ukraine's border areas. my colleague, kasia madera has been giving us the latest from the polish border. the numbers feel overwhelming. when you talk about over one million people having left ukraine fleeing their country from the fighting, it feels like a number that is just unimaginable. when you think about over 700,000 people have fled ukraine to come just to poland alone, it's difficult to comprehend, but when you see what is happening on the ground, this is one border crossing. one snapshot of a long border. and these scenes are repeated time and time again. thousands of people crossing the border every single day. this is just one crossing across this long, long border between poland and ukraine. and then when the people come, they're tired, they're exhausted. they've had very long journeys.

they come here and they wait for the next part of theirjourney. they wait for transport to take them on to the next reception centres where they're able to gather their thoughts, get something to eat and then think about what happens next. now, the uk home secretary priti patel was here on the border. she was on the very border itself. she didn't come here, she didn't see this, but she was on the border itself. and she spoke about the ukraine family scheme, whereby ukrainian nationals who are settled in the uk can bring family members over. but when you look at the sheer scale of the number of people who are coming over all the time, this is day after day after day. we've been here since saturday and the scenes don't change. is it enough? the eu has opened its borders. it's talking about a longer term process because it understands that these people will be here for some time, given the uncertainty

of what is happening back in ukraine. it's talking about a temporary protection directive so that the people that are coming over who have had to flee their homes can work, can get access to medical care, can get their children into schooling in other countries within the eu. the figures are simply overwhelming, and the fear is that they will continue to grow. alisa obraztsova is a ukrainian from kyiv who only days before crossed border to poland to safety. she spent days to cross the border. thank you for talking to us despite the difficulties that you have been going through. tell us about your journey into poland.— going through. tell us about your journey into poland. agnes -- i left k iv in journey into poland. agnes -- i left kyiv in the — journey into poland. agnes -- i left kyiv in the second _ journey into poland. agnes -- i left kyiv in the second day _ journey into poland. agnes -- i left kyiv in the second day of _ journey into poland. agnes -- i left kyiv in the second day of the - journey into poland. agnes -- i left kyiv in the second day of the water| kyiv in the second day of the water after spending about ten hours at the bomb shelter and mayjourney took me a little over a0 hours from kyiv where i'm from to poland which

was my first stop and i spent a couple of hours there and then in the end of sunday i am where i am now so it's very exhausting and tiring for me. now so it's very exhausting and tiring for me-— tiring for me. what about your famil , tiring for me. what about your family, where _ tiring for me. what about your family, where are _ tiring for me. what about your family, where are they? - tiring for me. what about your family, where are they? my i family, where are they? ij�*i grandparents family, where are they? m: grandparents are family, where are they? m; grandparents are south of kyiv, stating kyiv district. my aunt and cousin are there but my mother is now crossing the polish border to come to me. i could finally have her here because it was very difficult. what made it so difficult? just because i left _ what made it so difficult? just because i left before it started is anything even more and that's why it was really dangerous in kyiv the last couple of days and also the trains were super busy people or pushing each other and it was difficult so she waited a little bit and reorganise space. fire difficult so she waited a little bit

and reorganise space.— and reorganise space. are you s-ueakin and reorganise space. are you speaking to — and reorganise space. are you speaking to each _ and reorganise space. are you speaking to each other - and reorganise space. are you speaking to each other often? j and reorganise space. are you - speaking to each other often? what are they telling you about the situation back home? the;i are they telling you about the situation back home? they are scared, situation back home? they are scared. they — situation back home? they are scared, they are _ situation back home? they are scared, they are terrified - situation back home? they are scared, they are terrified by i situation back home? they are i scared, they are terrified by what is happening and he can't understand why it's happening in our country because of a country is not invading anyone, we are trying to protect and honestly all my family members are scared. it honestly all my family members are scared. ,., , ~ honestly all my family members are scared. , ~ scared. it sounds like you left before it escalated _ scared. it sounds like you left before it escalated really - scared. it sounds like you left l before it escalated really badly. tell us about that moment when you decided to leave, what have you heard and seen that prompted you to make a move? i heard and seen that prompted you to make a move?— make a move? i had a strong intuition somehow _ make a move? i had a strong intuition somehow and - make a move? i had a strong intuition somehow and they l make a move? i had a strong i intuition somehow and they try make a move? i had a strong - intuition somehow and they try to leave before just to stay out of ukraine for a week or two but i could not get a visa but then i could not get a visa but then i could not get a visa but then i could not leave and ifelt like it's going in a couple of days so ijust left my home seven, eight minutes and rushed to the train station to try to board the train and do

something. try to board the train and do something-— try to board the train and do somethina. ,, , ., ., ., ., something. still you are in poland now, how something. still you are in poland now. how long — something. still you are in poland now, how long do _ something. still you are in poland now, how long do you _ something. still you are in poland now, how long do you expect - something. still you are in poland now, how long do you expect to l something. still you are in poland i now, how long do you expect to stay there? �* ., ., ., , ., there? don't have a long-term plan to it is difficult — there? don't have a long-term plan to it is difficult to _ there? don't have a long-term plan to it is difficult to understand i to it is difficult to understand that i'm hoping to get to the country which language they speak but they hope they will get there. so at the moment you don't have a way into the uk at the moment? unfortunately it looks like we lost that line. �* ., ., unfortunately it looks like we lost thatline. ., ., that line. i'm here. you are saying ou don't that line. i'm here. you are saying you don't have _ that line. i'm here. you are saying you don't have a _ that line. i'm here. you are saying you don't have a way _ that line. i'm here. you are saying you don't have a way into - that line. i'm here. you are saying you don't have a way into the i that line. i'm here. you are saying you don't have a way into the uk l that line. i'm here. you are saying | you don't have a way into the uk at the moment? my company relocated there and i have worked but i can't go just because of the rules they make money for close family members. if it's that easy rules that are the problem. we if it's that easy rules that are the

roblem. ~ . if it's that easy rules that are the roblem. ~ , i. ., , , problem. we wish you all the best, thank ou problem. we wish you all the best, thank you very _ problem. we wish you all the best, thank you very much _ problem. we wish you all the best, thank you very much for _ problem. we wish you all the best, thank you very much for talking i thank you very much for talking to us. ~ ., ., thank you very much for talking to us. �* ., ., . ., thank you very much for talking to us. a, ., _, ., thank you very much for talking to good evening. it has been a day of mixed fortunes for many. we have seen quite a lot of cloud around and, yes, at times, it has been wet. this was lincolnshire this afternoon. it never really progressed above that low cloud, misty, murky story and there's been rain just fringing away from eastern scotland, but certainly sitting to the east of the pennines, down into the south—east corner. now, behind that front, there was quite a clearance and there were some lovely spells of sunshine to be found. this was cumbria just a few hours ago. and it looks likely that that drier and brighter story is going to win out as we go through the weekend. so, certainly drier. a little bit more sunshine around, but overnight frost and fog could be an issue as we go through the weekend.

now, over the next few hours, that weather front is going to grind to a halt across the far south—east corner, but high pressure builds in behind, and that's going to keep those skies clear and temperatures are going to fall away like a stone across scotland, northern ireland, northern england and parts of wales. here, we'll see temperatures just below freezing. down into the south—east corner, underneath that cloud and those outbreaks of rain, temperatures holding up at around 5 or 6 degrees. but once again, it's going to start off rather grey, drab and dreary, i'm afraid, and some of that rain may welljust drift a little bit further west as we go through the afternoon. best of the sunshine, then, to start off our weekend, certainly the further north and west you are. bit more of a breeze at times and temperatures likely to hold up at about a maximum of 10 degrees, so that is just a little bit under par for this time of year. now, as we move into sunday, that high pressure hopefully starts to establish itself a little bit more across the country, and finally that nuisance weather front that we've seen for the last couple of days really decays and eases away. bit more of a breeze, though, across the south, and that could just drive in a little more cloud, particularly

first thing in the morning, but hopefully that cloud will thinn and break into the afternoon. and temperatures should peak, in the drier, brighter moments, around 8 or 9 degrees. now, as we move out of sunday into monday morning, it's certainly worth bearing in mind that, with those clear skies, the temperatures are going to fall away. it is going to be a cold and frosty start for many first thing on monday morning, but monday into tuesday, dry, settled and sunny for most, but those temperatures on the chilly side for the time of year.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. russia steps up its bombardment of large parts of ukraine, as nato warns the conflict is about to get worse. we'll be reporting from inside the country's second biggest city, harkeev, where residential buildings have been reduced to rubble, by constant russian shelling. this is so far from normal it's hard to describe. the people have no idea

what they're going to do next. europe's largest nuclear plant is shelled by russian forces overnight. the fires are under control. well, as we are reporting, fighting continues across ukraine. let's look in closer details now at some of the key aspects of russia's advance in this war. i spoke to military expert justin crump from the company sibylline, which carries out country risk assessments, and he gave his take on the military situation. you can kind of see on the map the three main objectives russia have. the first is taking kyiv and displacing zelensky�*s government. the second one is the consolidation of the south, taking the ports there.

they have taken mariupol. there waiting for odesa, which will be harder, and then in the southeast, they want to encircle and destroy the ukrainian forces around don bass, the area they have long been fighting over. find don bass, the area they have long been fighting over.— been fighting over. and let's take some of the _ been fighting over. and let's take some of the toll _ been fighting over. and let's take some of the toll event _ been fighting over. and let's take some of the toll event has -- i been fighting over. and let's take some of the toll event has -- the j some of the toll event has —— the fighting is taken on ukraine. looking at this, was this part of the plan all along? it was always an option for russia. they came in with the wrong mission and the wrong mindset. they came in hoping it was going to be almost peacekeeping. they were going to be welcomed with open arms, and of course, that has not happened at all. the russian army likes to win, so they've escalated. the russian army has escalated to win, they are going to the next tactics which is more disruptive. they are using their artillery much more. and you mentioned a word there that is worrying to people — escalation. let's take a look at a map you have created. how can this help us understand what might happen next? yeah, this is the lay down of what they were planning a rigidly when they were planning a rigidly when

they started. i think they hopes to achieve much of what you have seen their much more quickly and it would've done that within potentially five days. i think they would have liked to have taken kyiv by now and had a clear victory over ukraine. obviously, it has gone slower. the weather is against them, the people are against them, the lack of fuel, logistics is against them. and the mindset is against them. this is where they will eventually go, they have a way to go to the centre of the country, but it is particularly odesa. the focus on moldova now, joining deq. part of them are allocated, the troops, the odesa, so that is the one thing which has not happened yet we are expecting to see. that's all forming a pretty intense picture. when we look at the way that russia is fighting at the moment, just explain to us what sort

of artillery is being used here. that is their great strength, as i said. what we've got there is thermobaric weapons. they spread like a powder through the air, and when that explodes, it is much more disruptive than a normal explosion, and so the russians call that a heavy flame—thrower. and that is broadly how it works. it fires about two km maximum. you fire it directly at the target and it puts down this huge explosion, with a horrible wave, and that is extremely bad for anyone nearby and it is extremely bad around buildings. it makes it very hard to defend because the air is sucked out of the building, so defenders cannot hide in rubble. so when the russians come to a strong point, they can use weapons like this, and at the moment, they've reached a point they're not worried

about reaching civilians — they're not trying to, but they're currently not worried — so on a whole, this could get worse. and this type of equipment is already in ukraine, they're just waiting to use it? exactly, so that piece of the equipment was a signature piece we saw, one of the things that made us think kyiv was going to be invaded. the presence of those weapon systems north of the city. what we are currently concerned about, what you can see on the screen there, this is russia's biggest gun, their biggest vehicle in their land component, and these can be seen between russia and kharkiv. there are a few on each front. they have been upgrading the system. we now understand why they've been upgrading the system. it is essentially a gun off hms belfast, it is a huge weapon.

fires a very large shell that's very good at destroying a single building — that is what is optimised for — about a5 km out. it can also fire nuclear rounds. there is no indication it has got those, but has that capability. of course, russia will use battlefield nuclear weapons as part of its escalation. we talk about escalations, it is worrying, because they've many places to go, and this is one of them. one of the rounds of this, a nuclear round, is probably twice the size of the explosion we saw at beirut harbour. you've said russia has many places to go with weaponry like this. from what you're saying, is this there is a threat or do you see a situation where this could come into play fairly quickly? the russians are fairly straightforward militarily. they show you what they have to use and they use it. they have trained to use it. these things are tools. that vehicle's codename is literally tool — that is what they call it, it is the tool — and that is what they see them as.

they have a job, they will play rachel to the job, and this they have a job, they will play rachel to thejob, and this is they have a job, they will play rachel to the job, and this is that job. they have not used it yet. if they face resistance in a city, they will bring out the heavy chain thrower —— flame—thrower to deal with it. it is ruthless, it is logical to them, it is escalatory, but they escalate to win, and that is what we have seen in all of this, and you see the consequences. now if they see a roadblock or someone fires from a building, they will destroy the building and move on. they are not prepared to put up with waiting around any more. they are under pressure to meet a timeline, they are under pressure to win. the more pressure they run into, the more ruthless they will become. i was speaking there to military expertjustin crump. in moscow, the parliament has passed a law, making it a criminal offence to spread what it calls "fake" information. the conflict in ukraine cannot be referred to as a "war". anyone convicted could receive a 15—year prison sentence.

access to the bbc, and other independent news websites and services, is also now restricted, following action by russia's media regulator. caroline hawley has that story. facing growing international isolation, growing pressure, president putin can't and won't travel far himself these days, but he did find time today to attend remotely a ceremony inaugurating a new passenger ferry and claimed that russia had no ill intentions to its neighbours. he warned them not to escalate tensions and he said russia would continue to develop, in spite of sanctions. anyone not towing the kremlin's line is now being silenced. "no war," the last words of a final gathering of staff at tv rain, once a symbol of independent, liberal journalism. they resigned live on—air and left viewers with a pointed message.

tchaikovsky's swan lake aired when the soviet union collapsed, and in other times of turmoil. this morning, in the lower house of parliament, another big move in the information war, though in russia now, you're not allowed to use the word "war". translation: all these companies, from instagram to others, _ are located in the united states. it's clear they're used as a weapon, they carry enmity, lies. we must resist this, protect the armed forces. they rubberstamped a law to impose heftyjail sentences on anyone spreading what the kremlin sees as fake news about the military. i think when you are frightened of a free and open press, you are frightened of yourself and your own people. the bbc now says it is temporarily suspending the work of all of its journalists in russia while it assesses the implications of the new law. protests against the invasion have already led to thousands of arrests over the past eight days,

but the demonstrations are still relatively small—scale. state propaganda exerts a powerful influence, and russians will now be left even more in the dark about what's really happening in ukraine. the russians have made much slower progress on the ground than they had hoped for, they had hoped in fact for lots more popular support from ukrainians in the eastern half of the country, which simply hasn't happened. but putin is now, to quote shakespeare, so deep stepped in blood that he's not going to turn back. his survival, i suspect, in the russian political system depends upon him carrying this war to a victory. so, for president putin, it's increasingly vital to control the narrative, as his war claims ever more ukrainian and russian lives. caroline hawley, bbc news. because of the danger, hospitals are having to make special arrangements to continue treating their patients underground. at kyiv�*s okmadet children's hospital, where they treat

young ones with cancer, they're having to use makeshift beds laid out on concrete floors in the basement. graham satchell has been speaking to one of the doctors working there. a teenage boy, injured in a russian attack. he's been brought to the children's hospital in kyiv. the boy is operated on and stabilised. just a week ago, none of the staff here could have imagined the situation they are now in. at this moment, we are actually exhausted. we are tired because we live at work 2a/7. baby cries there are normally 600 babies and children at this hospital. most have now been evacuated to safer parts of the country. but still there are more than 200 children here. they've been moved out of the wards, away from windows for their own safety. some are in beds, others on chairs. in the basement,

a makeshift cancer ward. it is the safest part of the hospital, but an awful environment for the youngest of patients, toddlers and babies. parents have moved in full time to be with their children, everyone doing their best to make life feel as normal as possible. they have a big group of volunteer hospital clowns, they still come to the shelters. we have a lot of candies, a lot of goods which usually we don't give the children, but at this moment, do what you want! cities across ukraine, like kharkiv in the north, have been bombarded now for days. staff at the hospital know kyiv could be next. are you worried about what will happen, lesia? i'm a normal person, i'm really worried. i'm worried what will be in the future, will ukraine exist? the first reason is the change the minds of russians, of russian

people, of russian soldiers. i don't want you to feel the same that i feel. i just want you to stay in your country and don't touch me, that's all that i ask. nothing, no war, just stay in your country. lesia has posted these pictures on her social media page. she embodies the determination of the ukrainian people to keep on fighting. if the russians started to bomb the centre of kyiv, will you stay? yes. and still the patients will be in the hospital, i with my husband will stay with the patients. girl sings in one of the rest areas in the hospital, a young girl sings a traditionalfolk song. it glorifies ukraine as a beautiful country, and its people as proud and brave.

uk home secretary priti patel went to poland early on friday to announce that british nationals and anyone who has settled in the uk can bring immediate family, parents, grandparents and siblings to safety. but the scheme she has launched has certain qualification criteria which could potentially make many ineligible to apply. ukrainians with family in the uk have told the bbc the government should make more effort to provide refuge for those fleeing the country. we can talk to peter baron, a british national who is facing difficulties trying to bring his ukrainian partner to uk. hello, peter, thanks for talking to us. just tell us about what you have experienced, because you've been trying to bring your partner over to the uk. ., ., , , the uk. yeah, i have spent eight days. we _ the uk. yeah, i have spent eight days, i've moved _ the uk. yeah, i have spent eight days, i've moved heaven - the uk. yeah, i have spent eight days, i've moved heaven and i the uk. yeah, i have spent eight i days, i've moved heaven and earth, i have phoned people, i've written to

the whole cabinet, i have got my mp involved, and to be honest, i have that a brick wall and i have had absolutely no progress. we are at day, what are we, day eight? my partner is still sleeping on a floor in a friend's flat in istanbul. it sound like you have not done every —— knocked on every door he possibly could. i -- knocked on every door he possibly could. . -- knocked on every door he possibly could-- have — -- knocked on every door he possibly could-- have you _ -- knocked on every door he possibly could.- have you heard - -- knocked on every door he possibly could.- have you heard back. could. i have! have you heard back from anyone _ could. i have! have you heard back from anyone at _ could. i have! have you heard back from anyone at all? _ could. i have! have you heard back from anyone at all? my _ could. i have! have you heard back from anyone at all? my mp - could. i have! have you heard back from anyone at all? my mp has i could. i have! have you heard back. from anyone at all? my mp has been really good- she _ from anyone at all? my mp has been really good. she put _ from anyone at all? my mp has been really good. she put my _ from anyone at all? my mp has been really good. she put my case - from anyone at all? my mp has been really good. she put my case on i from anyone at all? my mp has been really good. she put my case on the| really good. she put my case on the desk of somebody in the home office i have not heard a thing. ihind desk of somebody in the home office i have not heard a thing.— i have not heard a thing. and was our i have not heard a thing. and was your partner's situation _ i have not heard a thing. and was your partner's situation now? i i have not heard a thing. and wasj your partner's situation now? tell us about how she is? ok. your partner's situation now? tell us about how she is?— us about how she is? ok, she is traumatised, _ us about how she is? ok, she is traumatised, really _ us about how she is? ok, she is traumatised, really i _ us about how she is? ok, she is traumatised, really i should i us about how she is? ok, she is traumatised, really i should be| us about how she is? ok, she is i traumatised, really i should be with her, and we arejust, we are traumatised, really i should be with her, and we are just, we are trying to find a route, but she is sleeping, as i say, on a floor in istanbul. she flew out from odesa just before the conflict got nasty

and we're worried about her parents. we are trying to encourage them to leave, at present left behind, so she needs emotional support under think there are hundreds of uk citizens in the same situation. we cannot get our loved ones home. we have heard the uk government responding to criticism of that, the 12 months they were giving the people who could come over were not long enough, they've increase that to three years, but that doesn't help you, because the criteria is too narrow for you to be able to bring your partner over. exactly. there are _ bring your partner over. exactly. there are number _ bring your partner over. exactly. there are number of _ bring your partner over. exactly. there are number of problems l bring your partner over. exactly. i there are number of problems here. first of all, the home office helpline staff don't seem to be briefed, so they don't seem to be able to give us advice when we finally get through to them after about an hour finally get through to them after aboutan hour orso finally get through to them after about an hour or so waiting, the second problem is that if you take a bureaucratic response to a crisis, you get something that is essentially a nonsense. and it

becomes really inhumane, because, i will give you another example, my friend andre, just on the rated poor smith university, his 19—year—old sister arrives alone, and he asked his friend to drive to pick them up. you would think andre would find it easy now the new system, but he does not qualify. icy. easy now the new system, but he does not iuali . , . ~ easy now the new system, but he does not iuali . , ., ,, i. not qualify. icy. peter, thank you for talking _ not qualify. icy. peter, thank you for talking to _ not qualify. icy. peter, thank you for talking to us, _ not qualify. icy. peter, thank you for talking to us, and _ not qualify. icy. peter, thank you for talking to us, and we - not qualify. icy. peter, thank you for talking to us, and we do i not qualify. icy. peter, thank youj for talking to us, and we do hope that your attempts have better luck —— | that your attempts have better luck —— i see. well, the head of the world bank is warning that the war in ukraine is a catastrophe that will cut growth and push up living costs. david malpass says global food prices are likely to increase as ukraine's vast exports of sunflower oil, maize and wheat have come to a halt. he also warned that it is the poorest members of society who will feel the most impact of rising fuel and food prices. here's our business correspondent theo leggett. the war in ukraine is first and foremost a humanitarian disaster. but it's also an

economic catastrophe. critical infrastructure has been destroyed and it's impossible for trade to pass through the country's ports because of the fighting. but the government has received billions of pounds in emergency support from the eu, the imf and world bank to fund vital spending. we should be able to fulfil, as a government, to execute our key functions, to pay pensions, salaries, other protected expenditure, as well as support our army and fulfil our debt obligations. russia's economy is also being badly damaged — this time because of western sanctions. the currency has tumbled, western businesses like ikea and h&m have shut up shop and experts say the government may struggle to pay its debts. but other effects of the conflict will be global. the war in ukraine comes at a bad time for the world, because inflation was already rising. in developing countries, a third of them have already had to raise interest rates, so that puts a real

burden on their financial systems and on the poor. the energy cost rises hit everyone, and especially... they are a regressive tax, they hit the poor the most, as does inflation. the price of vital goods on international markets has been soaring. wheat is normally a major export for both russia and ukraine. the price has risen nearly 75% over the past month. aluminium is up 25% and it's hitting record levels. and this is what's been happening to the price of crude oil, up 2a% since early february. numbers on global markets can often feel rather distant from everyday life, but their effects are very real. if the price of wheat goes up, that makes a whole range of foods more expensive. if the cost of copper and aluminium goes up, then manufactured goods will cost more to buy as well. and as for gas and oil, well, if you fuel your car or you need to heat your home, eventually that's going to become

more expensive as well. and all of this at a time when many people are already struggling to make ends meet. theo leggett, bbc news. the ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky, a comedian who had no experience of politics when elected less than three years ago, is now leading his country in the fight against a russian invasion. our correspondentjonah fisher, who met him in his campaign trail in 2019 and the days after, has put together this report. ukraine's wartime president now has admirers all around the world. my name is volodymyr zelensky. three years ago, when i first met him, he wasjust an actor and comedian. and that's it! i'm normal human. and you're running for president. yes, i'm running. back then, the prospect of a president zelensky seemed far—fetched. benny hill, yeah, is more understandable than monty python.

at that point, zelensky�*s main qualification was that he played the part of the president in a comedy tv series. in the tv series, zelensky�*s president, vasyl holoborodko, was the breath of fresh air that ukraine needed, taking on the rich oligarchs. so zelensky�*s election campaign cleverly blurred the lines between tv and real—life, and people loved it. he went into polling day in the lead. are you ready to be president? i don't know! the people will decide it in the evening! when evening came, zelensky was confirmed with a landslide victory. so there we have it — fact will follow fiction! what enabled zelensky to win the election was his savvy use of social media. ukrainians basically live on facebook here, and that was his direct channel.

without going through mainstream media, which is owned by competing parties and oligarchs, that sort of thing, he communicated directly and in a very passionate and empathetic way to ukrainians. sworn in with a flourish, zelensky set out trying to deliver on his many election promises. first among them was a pledge to end the war with russian—backed militias in eastern ukraine. and there were some good initial signs. this was a prisoner swap. he was at the airport to greet those coming home. we have to do all the steps to finish this horrible war. but do you think this is a new chapter in relations between russia and ukraine? i think this is the first chapter. but the next chapter of the zelensky presidency was a painful one, a cameo role in a blackmail saga which led to the impeachment of donald trump. we had, i think, a good phone call.

zelensky�*s acting skills, for once, deserting him. in the last couple of years, zelensky�*s presidency has rather drifted. visits to the trenches have highlighted the lack of peace, while promised reforms have stalled. then came invasion, and zelensky and ukraine have not rolled over. i never remember any situation or event when i was working with him that he would give up his principles and values, and this is probably what russian president vladimir putin underestimated. nowadays, he shows himself as a serious leader that of course can make some kind of irony, and his communication skills are very appropriate, but at the same time, we understand that he is serious about defending the values of our country. zelensky�*s journey to this point has few parallels. with the russians now closing in,

does his remarkable story have one final twist? jonah fisher, bbc news. let's remind you of the latest updates to our top story. russian troops are making slow progress against continued stiff resistance in ukraine. analysts say president putin has failed to achieve his initial aims of quickly overwhelming major cities in ukraine. russia's attacks on ukrainian civilians and infrastructure have been condemned by the g7 group of leading industrial powers which promised to hold those responsible for war crimes to account. the director of the international atomic energy agency has told an emergency meeting of the un security council that he is ready to travel to ukraine to secure the safety of its nuclear sites.

that's all for now. do stay with us here on bbc news. goodbye for now. hello there. the weather story over the last couple of days has been dominated by a pretty stubborn, slow—moving weather front. once it cleared away, it allowed the sunshine to come through. it was a beautiful afternoon in cumbria. but friday afternoon in parts of lincolnshire slightly disappointing, a lot of low grey cloud, misty at times and, yes, there was still some outbreaks of rain. this weather front is still going to be with us for the first half of the weekend, but high pressure is starting to move in across the far northwest of that front. bit more of a breeze down to the south as well so we will start the day on saturday with some cloud and rain into lincolnshire, east anglia, southeast england and perhaps it will drift that little bit further westwards as the day progresses. the best of the sunshine certainly through scotland, northern ireland, northern england,

wales and southwest england. top temperatures here of around 10 degrees. now, as we move out of saturday into sunday it looks likely that that high pressure really continues to establish itself and drift that little bit further eastwards. the frontal system finally decaying, still a breeze, and that will be quite noticeable on sunday and it may welljust drive in a little more cloud, but with some clearer skies, sunday morning could be quite a chilly start. lows of —a or —5 degrees in sheltered rural parts of scotland. so, cold, yes, but lots of sunshine around for scotland, northern ireland, northern england and parts of wales. again, that breeze could drive in a little more cloud across central and southern england. hopefully it'll break up for some glimpses of sunshine and it will be a drier afternoon. but because of that wind direction, and certainly stronger further south, it is going to feel on the chilly side despite some sunshine coming through. so top temperatures are likely to peak at around 8 or 9 degrees. that's just under par for this time of year, really. what's in store for the start

of the new working week? well, monday still sees that high pressure with us. it is going to continue to drift its way over towards scandinavia and that's important for us because, although we're centred across the high, it will start to pull in more of a southeasterly feed, a cooler source at this time of year coming from the continent, and that could have a bit of an impact as well. it will also drive in a little more cloud coming in off those exposed north sea coasts across eastern england, and again it will be on the coolish side. the best of the sunshine once again further north into northern england, scotland and northern ireland, but temperatures again struggling to climb into double figures. it will be a similar story through tuesday into wednesday. it's also worth noting that because we've got those clear skies by day, that could lead to some cold, frosty and potentially foggy starts first thing in the morning. but there's a good deal of dry weather to take us through to the middle part of the week, with top temperatures peaking at 12 degrees. now, what's in store for the end of the week?

it's all down to where the position of the high is going to be. it looks likely that the high pressure will continue to drift its way steadily east, allowing significant lows to move in off the atlantic. there'll be more isobars, the winds will start to strengthen. exactly where the position of that high is going to be is still subject to question, and that could change the exact forecast, but it looks likely that the trend is to become more unsettled and the potential for some wintry weather to the tops of higher ground in scotland. so, into next week, we start off with sunny spells and a cool breeze, with overnight frost and fog an issue. we close out the week with cloud, wind and rain possible but, again, the detail is still a little uncertain. take care.

tonight at ten: russia steps up its bombardment of large parts of ukraine, as nato warns the conflict is about to get worse. we'll be reporting from inside the country's second biggest city, kharkiv, where residential buildings have been reduced to rubble by constant russian shelling. this is so far from normal, it's kind of hard to even describe. and these people have no idea what they're going to do next. europe's largest nuclear plant is shelled by russian forces overnight. the fires are now under control. this evening, the american secretary of state has told the bbc that ukraine's defeat is not inevitable.