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.

we've seen extraordinary, extraordinary resilience coming from the ukrainian people defending their country, defending their freedom, defending their future. and at ukraine's borders, the refugee queues grow longer — more and more people are trying to flee. here, the impact of the crisis on energy supplies has caused a surge in wholesale prices. the cost of gas in the uk is now 13 times higher than a year ago. and in other news — tributes pour in for australia's cricket legend shane warne, who's died at the age of 52. in sport, the winter paralympics are officially underway without any russian or belarussian athletes, who are leaving beijing. the ukraine team received a heroes�* welcome in the birdsnest stadium.

good evening. we're live in the ukrainian capital of kyiv, where russian forces continue to advance on the city. overnight, they attacked a nuclear power plant, europe's biggest, at zaporizhzhia. the fires and shelling sparked fears of a nuclear leak, which led to ukraine's president zelensky again calling for a no—fly zone over the country. nato has ruled that out, but tonight the us secretary of state, anthony blinken, said in an exclusive interview he's convinced ukraine can win the war with russia over time. more on that in a moment. but if we take a look at the map, the areas in red show the gains russian troops are making. they control large parts of the south, and are targeting the city of mariupol, which if captured would cut off ukraine's access to the black sea. another key target is kharkiv in the east, ukraine's

second largest city. our eastern europe correspondent, sarah rainsford, has this special report from inside kharkiv, which has been bombarded by russian forces for much of the 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 landing close to her home. i asked how she's coping. she said she isn't. it's been a week with barely any sleep. this is what is keeping kharkiv awake — 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, to shelter from a war they didn't see coming and don't understand. whole lives are now playing out on these platforms. families bedding down in trains that stopped when the war began. at least the children don't hear the explosions down here. above ground, shops are running out of food. down here, people live off hand—outs. i really... i'm scared about myself and my family... so, we took our documents and just came here.

there are now thousands of people 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're getting food down here, but 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. this family has been down here for three whole days now. translation: we hope for the best | but we are prepared for the worst. l at least we have food and air, and the children are ok. there is a whole volunteer network here, finding scarce supplies and delivering them to the most needy. translation: nobody is losing their spirit. i we are all going and doing our best to fight, and we will beat them. 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. even food shopping means taking a risk, queueing in the open for three hours whilst the shelves get emptier every day. despite the pressure, ukraine still controls this crucial city. but kharkiv 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 that we can hear, within just a few kilometres of our base in the capital. the sound of air raid sirens, is more regular throughout the days now. our correspondent, jeremy bowen, has more on those trying to escape the conflict here, and those staying to fight. 50,000 people a day are passing through kyiv station. it is the gateway to relative safety in the far west, near the polish border. furtherfrom the russians, and further from the people they love. no—one knows how long they'll be apart. the platform for lviv is where they start becoming refugees — almost all of them

women and children. "i'm really worried about my three kids", she said, "and i want to come back. "but now i'm very scared." people shout ahead, up to 12 hours rammed 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'd 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 an app to translate for us his attempt to reassure his wife. translation: she also asked me to leave. - i said that we will fight to the end. i it will be easier for us - to fight when you are safe. no—one knows theirjourney�*s end — the evacuees or the husbands and fathers they left behind. on the edge of kyiv, some volunteers are in position, still trying to get organised. the professionals, 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're still a reasonable distance in that direction. the city's there. it's big and it's 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's ordered on cities elsewhere in the country. first lesson for the new soldiers — loading bullets into a magazine. most at this territorial defence centre were boys of 18 and i9. i 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 yellow tape is to show they're not russians. they have three days training and then the front line. maxim, aged 19, joked,

"my mum said don't go anywhere, she'd capture enough saboteurs for the two of us." the only woman there was coming as a medic. everyone i've met in this city is defiant. here, 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, kyiv. ukraine's volunteer army. russia is facing even greater international condemnation after europe's largest nuclear power station at zaporizhzhia was hit by shelling. none of the reactors was struck, but a fire did break out on part of the site. there's also 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. overnight, a shell hit a building at zaporizhzhia, europe's largest nuclear power facility. translation: russian troops attacked the largest nuclear . power plant in europe. it's maybe six times the size of chornobyl. the russian tanks knew what they were firing at. they directly hit the plant. this is terror on an unprecedented level. a blaze, which was quickly extinguished, was limited to a training facility building. critically, it didn't affect any of the nuclear reactors. the complex of reactor buildings is about a kilometre long, and now only one of the six reactors here 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. leaders around the world condemned the russian military for recklessness, but russia's envoy at the un security council insisted it was untrue that his country's forces had shelled the plant, insisting that ukrainian saboteurs were to blame. it was ukrainian emergency crews that dealt with the fire, and the immediate danger now appears to have passed. but nuclear experts say the situation is still precarious. we're not looking at another- chornobyl 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 nuclear fuel inside would melt down, so it's really important that the russian forces - and the ukrainian forces stop firing in the direction - of the nuclear power stations. interruption to the power supply was behind the nuclear disaster at fukushima injapan in 2011. but while that was caused

by a natural disaster, this conflict is now drawing close to nuclear power plants that are not designed for war zones. victoria gill, bbc news. foreign ministers from nato, the g7 and the european union, have ruled out imposing a no—fly zone over ukraine, in spite of pleas from the country's leaders. they say direct intervention could spark a wider conflict. however, the us secretary of state, anthony blinken, has told the bbc he believes ukraine, fighting alone, can win its war with russia. from brussels, our diplomatic correspondent, james landale, reports. more than a week after the invasion, a chance for western ministers to take stock, gathering at nato headquarters to assess what more can be done to support ukraine and put pressure on russia. and at the

centre of it all, this man, america's top diplomat, who despite all the bloodshed was determined to remain positive when we sat down to talk. do you think ukraine's defeat is inevitable?— is inevitable? there is an old sa in: is inevitable? there is an old saying that _ is inevitable? there is an old saying that the _ is inevitable? there is an old saying that the only things . is inevitable? there is an old i saying that the only things that is inevitable? there is an old - saying that the only things that are inevitable in life are death and taxes, so i don't think anything is inevitable. ., ., taxes, so i don't think anything is inevitable-— taxes, so i don't think anything is inevitable. ., ., . , inevitable. you are convinced they can win? over— inevitable. you are convinced they can win? over time, _ inevitable. you are convinced they can win? over time, absolutely. l inevitable. you are convinced they can win? over time, absolutely. i| can win? over time, absolutely. i can't tell you _ can win? over time, absolutely. i can't tell you how— can win? over time, absolutely. i can't tell you how long _ can win? over time, absolutely. i can't tell you how long this - can win? over time, absolutely. i can't tell you how long this will. can win? over time, absolutely. i| can't tell you how long this will go on or how long it will take, but the idea that russia can subjugate to its will 45 million people who are ardently, ardently fighting for their future ardently, ardently fighting for theirfuture and their ardently, ardently fighting for their future and their freedom, that tells you a lot. but their future and their freedom, that tells you a lot-— tells you a lot. but what did he say to those ukrainians _ tells you a lot. but what did he say to those ukrainians desperate - tells you a lot. but what did he say to those ukrainians desperate for i tells you a lot. but what did he say| to those ukrainians desperate for a western no—fly zone that nato has again ruled out? western no-fly zone that nato has again ruled out?— western no-fly zone that nato has again ruled out? we are working and talkin: to again ruled out? we are working and talking to the — again ruled out? we are working and talking to the government _ again ruled out? we are working and talking to the government every - talking to the government every single day about their needs, what we can do that would help them be more effective in defending ukraine against the russian onslaught. we

have provided more than $1 billion in security assistance to ukraine. that is not saving lives. it is in security assistance to ukraine. that is not saving lives.— that is not saving lives. it is very hard to demonstrate _ that is not saving lives. it is very hard to demonstrate a _ that is not saving lives. it is very hard to demonstrate a negative. | that is not saving lives. it is very - hard to demonstrate a negative. the ukrainians have been extraordinarily effective because of their extraordinary courage. effective because of their extraordina couraue. ., ., , extraordinary courage. what worries him is a war — extraordinary courage. what worries him is a war spreading _ extraordinary courage. what worries him is a war spreading across - him is a war spreading across europe. him is a war spreading across euro e. , ~ him is a war spreading across euro e. ,~' ., him is a war spreading across euroe. ., ., ., , europe. the risk of escalation is certainly real. _ europe. the risk of escalation is certainly real. it's _ europe. the risk of escalation is certainly real. it's something i certainly real. it's something that we care about and focused on because the only thing worse than a war that is contained to ukraine is one that goes further and beyond it. there is a lot of diplomacy _ goes further and beyond it. there is a lot of diplomacy going _ goes further and beyond it. there is a lot of diplomacy going on - goes further and beyond it. there is a lot of diplomacy going on at - goes further and beyond it. there is a lot of diplomacy going on at the l a lot of diplomacy going on at the moment at nato and elsewhere, the aim to reaffirm western unity and decide next steps. but behind—the—scenes, there are fears that for all the sanctions they agree, all the help and support they provide, there is a grim inevitability about events in ukraine. and as the talk of a diplomatic solutions, the secretary of state was cautious. it diplomatic solutions, the secretary

of state was cautious.— of state was cautious. it depends entirely on _ of state was cautious. it depends entirely on president _ of state was cautious. it depends entirely on president putin - of state was cautious. it depends entirely on president putin and l of state was cautious. it depends| entirely on president putin and on russia. if they show any signs of being willing to engage in meaningful diplomacy, of course we will engage. we look to our ukrainian partners, too. they are talking to the russians but that is not producing anything.— not producing anything. analysts here at nato _ not producing anything. analysts here at nato may _ not producing anything. analysts here at nato may ask— not producing anything. analysts here at nato may ask if- not producing anything. analysts here at nato may ask if vladimir| here at nato may ask if vladimir putin is rational or delusional, anthony blinken would not express an opinion. one way of changing this would be a regime change in moscow, is that something you would seek? we is that something you would seek? - don't seek that. in any event, it's not up to us. the russian people need to decide their leadership. today's was a chance for the west to

show solidarity with ukraine and it did that. as for providing military... 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 young, independent, liberaljournalism. 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. in the lower house of parliament they met to make another big move in the information war — though in russia now, you're not allowed to use the word "war". on a growing list of casualties, facebook, used by millions of russians, now blocked. 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 long jail sentences on anyone spreading what the kremlin decrees 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 would 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. the humanitarian situation just gets worse, day by day, hour by hour. the united nations is now warning that on top of the 1.2 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 is on the palanca border crossing point, about 30 miles from the ukrainian port city of odesa. 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 it's a war out there.

video from odesa this week showed the men left 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. and 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 1 million people coming from syria. now, in four days, we already have almost1 million people. and ukraine has a0 million people.

if the russians continue bombing the cities the way they are doing, if we're ukrainian, what do you 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. lyse is here, our chief international correspondent. we heard that interview, that james landale did with antony blinken, the us secretary of state, he categorically ruled out the no—fly zone. for president zelinsky and his government, where does that leave ukraine? ., ., , , ukraine? exposed, dangerously ex - osed. ukraine? exposed, dangerously exoosed- we — ukraine? exposed, dangerously exposed. we heard _ ukraine? exposed, dangerously exposed. we heard again - ukraine? exposed, dangerously exposed. we heard again froml exposed. we heard again from president zelensky, who never minces his words although he is very grateful for all of the military assistance provided by nato partners, he told the west, he told them every ukrainian who dies from

now on will be because of you, because you didn't come and help us. from his perspective i suppose he sees president putin breaking all the rules in the book and wonders why the west, nato allies cannot do more to help him. they nato allies keep saying, you are doing really well and we are doing what we can. in fact, the experts are looking at it and saying the airpower of ukraine, which is... russia has 15 times more combat power than ukraine but ukraine's surface to air missiles, its aircraft are still largely intact after nine days of war, which again is raising the question about president putin's strategy in this war, what are they trying to establish? of course, when people look at ukraine's airpower, they are saying why don't they use what they have to attack the convoy, which is still hovering ominously on the edge of the city? we heard more about that tonight from the pentagon, saying the bridges, do you remember early on in the war we

heard how they were blowing up bridges around the city? apparently that has stopped and the ukrainians have attacked it, not in a massive way. we understand they are trying to save their firepower, but the closer it comes to the capital, and we have been seeing on the bbc tonight some of the haunting pictures of devastation just north—west of kyiv, the kind of destruction wrought on the edge of the capital, which could come to the centre, which is why with every day that passes, ukraine is begging the world, we need more help. {lilia that passes, ukraine is begging the world, we need more help. ok, thank ou. world, we need more help. ok, thank you- our chief— world, we need more help. ok, thank you. our chief international— you. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet. a little later, we'll hear from one of the premier league's top players, the ukrainian, oleksander zinchenko. but for now from kyiv, it's back to you, jane, in the studio in london. the cost of gas in the uk is now 13 times what it was a year ago — because prices on wholesale markets have risen to record levels amid fears that supplies from russia could be cut off or restricted.

it comes as the president of the world bank said the war in ukraine is a catastrophe for the world which will cut global economic growth. our economics editor faisal islam reports. the impact of this war 1500 miles away is starting to be felt everywhere. a price shock is coming on what we pay for our loaves of bread, anything that requires a tin or a can, on sunflower oil and, of course, it's here already in our use of petrol at the pumps and energy generally, especially gas, all of which are being hit by limits on what russia or ukraine are able to export. have a look at the price energy companies pay for the gas they need to supply to households. it's been about 50p per therm for two decades. during the invasion, it shot up, surging today to 508p per therm, a new record and making another significant rise in bills in autumn likely. it's notjust gas, though.

this is a similar 20 year chart for wheat, up 40% this month after exports stopped from russia and ukraine. metals prices also surging, aluminium at new records as russian exports halt, going up 30% over the past month. that's going to mean higher energy, transport and food prices in the uk. it's possible that inflation could reach double digits. what is without precedent is the sheer breadth of the rise in commodity prices that will affect everyday goods. if it's not the rise in raw materials, it's the cost of packaging, if not that, it's the rise in transportation costs. and all of that comes on top of existing high levels of inflation that arise out of the end of the pandemic period and the supply bottlenecks associated with that. it already was a perfect storm for prices, it now seems like a tidal wave of price pressures which are going to hit home. energy's going up.

how are we meant to live? food prices have gone up — everything has gone up. i'm definitely trying to drive less because, yeah, it just costs so much to fill up my car now compared to what it did a year ago. food prices at these levels have in the past destabilised many poorer countries, some of which are dependent directly on ukraine's farms for their food, as the president of the world bank told the bbc. what it is is a catastrophe for russia, for ukraine and for their neighbours and the rest of the world will need to adjust very rapidly in order to go forward. the economic shock waves of this conflict hitting well beyond the black sea. faisal islam, bbc news. the government has said that visas given to people fleeing ukraine and joining relatives in the uk will last for three years, rather than one as originally announced. the scheme was also extended earlier this week to cover more family members,

after criticism that it was too limited. our special correspondent lucy manning has been speaking to people who are struggling to be reunited with loved ones in britain. yeah, we are at king's cross now and we are going to fly to poland. vitali is on a rescue mission — from his life in london working for facebook... to meet our family. ..to his mum and sister, anna and victoria, who have travelled for 36 hours from central ukraine to make it across the border to poland. they've taken their cats but left the rest of their life behind. vitali has flown to poland, hoping to bring them back to his home in london. except he can't. government rules say he hasn't lived in the uk long enough. i cannot do this because there are requirements from the government, that i need to have the settled status to be allowed

to bring my family to the uk.