this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories — officials in the besieged city of mariupol say the evacuation of up to 200,000 civilians has been postponed because russian forces are not observing a planned ceasefire. they continue to destroy mariupol. we decided to move our citizens back because it is not safe to be on the streets. just to know that they are alive. like, every time i close my eyes i can see and hear my mum and hear the voice of my dad, and i don't know if i will hear them again. sorry... city authorities say

talks are under way with the russian side to establish a secure humanitarian corridor. protests against russian occupation have broken out in kherson, the only big city to have been captured so far. ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky, has been addressing the us senate by video link to appeal for more help. poland warns of a refugee crisis on an unimaginable scale, as thousands of people continue to flee the fighting in ukraine. hello and welcome to bbc news. authorities in the southern port city of mariupol say the evacuation of up to 200,000 civilians has been

postponed because russian forces are not observing a planned ceasefire. officials have asked citizens to �*disperse, and head for shelter�*. two humanitarian corridors had been announced to allow civilians to leave both mariupol and the nearby city of volnovakha. it comes as ukraine's president has strongly criticised the west for ruling out a no—fly zone over his country — while russian attacks continue. he said nato members would have blood on their hands. meanwhile, speaking in the past few hours — the russian president, vladimir putin, has compared the imposition of sanctions on russia to a declaration of war. here's our security correspondent, frank gardner. death, dangerand destruction in chernihiv. this once peaceful european city has descended into a dystopian world. civilians struggle to survive amidst

the onslaught of russian attacks. translation: yesterday, - there were bodies everywhere. there was a queue in front of a pharmacy and then they were all lying there dead. what the hell are those scumbags doing? translation: my heart has been blown up because my children didn't _ manage to leave in time. my grandchildren are here and i came walking through the entire town so we can think about getting out of here. air strikes, artillery and missiles are reducing some of ukraine's cities to rubble as the country continues to resist russia's invasion. those who can have been leaving the capital before it is surrounded. but in the coastal town of mariupol, a ceasefire to allow residents to escape collapsed amidst repeated shelling. ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky says civilians must be allowed to leave. translation: surrounded cities are being destroyed. and experiencing the worst days.

humanitarian corridors must work today. mariupol and volnovakha, to save people, women, children, the elderly, to give food and medicine to those who remain. and the ukrainian military is fighting back, armed with stinger missiles and other weapons from the west, it has been inflicting serious losses on the invaders. but russia still has the numerical advantage. it has more tanks, planes and troops then ukraine can muster. its forces are expected to to try to encircle and besiege kyiv. its forces are expected to try to encircle and besiege kyiv. president putin has said the operation will continue. russian officials deny targeting civilians and blame ukraine for the failure of peace talks so far. translation: round three of these negotiations. — the future rounds of negotiations, it is difficult to comment on them. it also does not really add some

optimism, all these, so to speak, angry statements of mr zelensky. for ukraine's civilians trapped in this war, there is a desperate need for humanitarian corridors. 0veri million people have now fled the country, the fastest exodus of refugees in recent history. they don't know when they will return, or how much of their country will be left. frank gardner, bbc news. my colleague yalda hakim is in lviv in western ukraine. day ten of this conflict, and it seems to be intensifying. there was some hope this morning when the russian defence ministry announced that they would have a partial ceasefire and create a humanitarian corridor for the people who were stuck in the southern cities of mariupol and volnovakha. we spoke to the deputy mayor of mariupol, sergei 0rlov, who said to me that actually the shelling and fighting continued there and the people hadn't

received any kind of respite from the fighting. he called on people there to stay where they could, seek shelter and disperse, and that there would be more advice given about a potential evacuation and that talks were continuing with the russians. let's have a listen. our people told us the shelling stops for a little time but then it continues. and they continue to use hard artillery and rockets to bomb mariupol. that's why people are very scared. but anyway, they go to three specific points from which we will go in to evacuate them by municipal buses. but we had another situation that it was confirmed that all the road, and they told us the road from mariupol

to zaporizhzhia is safe. but we received information that there are hard fights on this road — it's on the road to zaporizhzhia — and it's not safe to go by this road because of these fights. so we have two objections — first of them the continued shelling of mariupol and next the fights. so we understand it was not true from the russian side and they continue to destroy mariupol. we decided to move our citizens back because it is not safe to be on the streets. so at the moment people are unable to evacuate mariupol because the shelling continues? at the moment people are unable to evacuate for two reasons. first of all, continuous shelling in mariupol and the other one,

fights on the route to zaporizhzhia, and it's impossible to evacuate people. has the central government, the ukrainian government, spoken to the russian side about this? have they told them that the shelling continues? because this is obviously a breach of the ceasefire, the humanitarian corridor that was agreed to. we communicate with the governor of the donetsk region pavlo kyrylenko. he takes responsibility to communicate with that side. so we received information from the governor of the donetsk region. that was the deputy mayor of mariupol telling me that they were not able to safely evacuate their citizens from the city because the shelling and fighting continued. all of today i have spent time speaking to volunteers who were at an arts centre where they were making camouflage nets for the military. at least 200 volunteers had gathered

there and they make about a0 nets a day and the army comes and picks it up and takes them where they are needed most. while i was there i met a young woman who came to us in tears devastated because she doesn't know where her husband is now. they were residents of the capital kyiv, and she said our life has been completely turned upside down. she then showed me a video of her young daughter. they are now living in a bunker underground. this was a video she showed of them celebrating her birthday, and she said our life is now this, where we are having celebrations and trying to continue some kind of normalcy in this life that is now underground. the video you are seeing is of that little girl's birthday party. we also have with us here in lviv a young man who has come here in the last few days from kyiv.

he fled the shelling and fighting and made his way to lviv. sava joins me now on the programme. thank you forjoining us. tell us about your journey from kyiv to lviv and why you left. it was february 21st when this started and we heard a huge explosion in the centre next to my street and i heard a huge two or three explosions, we packed our stuff, and went from the city. there was just chaos on the roads. so me and my mother decided to stay in a small village next to kyiv. we have been there for three days. before that, before we got there, there were huge explosions right above my head when we were driving in the car. it was like the sky turned yellow for a brief second and it was a very, very powerful explosion. we stayed in that village for three

days and then decided to leave because every night we heard huge bombs and we just couldn't sleep there. i took my mum and my cat we drove through the south next to lviv. we drove to the border. i said goodbye to my mum, she went to poland and now i'm here alone. so you have to stay and fight? yeah, i guess, there is no way back for me. you said you sent your child with your mother as well? not my child, my cat. my mum and my cat went to my sister in netherlands. and also i have another sister, she lives in moscow, she also left two days ago because there is just nothing to do there. how difficult was it saying goodbye to your mum? it was quite difficult but i was prepared for that. i actually told her to leave two

hours before the explosions started. i saw this announcement by an american minister who said war will start today at 4am. i said, mum, we are going to get out of here. but she decided to sleep. but i'm glad that i had the chance to take her out of here. she must be so worried about you. she is. but what can you do? what are you going to do now? are you going to prepare to fight? what exactly have you been asked to do? i'm probably going tojoin the territorial guard and the people who guard ukrainian territory. i have no experience with arms. actually, i'm a film director. i film, i shoot with a drone but now

i need to be prepared for war. when do you think you will see your mum again? it is hard to make any guesses but i think it's going to last a few months. and what does she say to you when she speaks to you? she just says, stay safe... do you think you will be safe? i hope so. sava, thank you forjoining us. this is the story of so many men in this country because of martial law. they are forced to stay here and fight, men between the ages of 18 and 60 who have been forced to say goodbye to their mothers, their sisters, their wives, their daughters, heartfelt goodbyes, heartbreaking scenes. we witnessed those on the polish—hungarian border, and we saw the devastation that the families were going through

as they said goodbye to one another, unsure of when they will be reunited. was yalda hakim in lviv in the west of ukraine. in the ukrainian capital, there is still a sense of trepidation. 0ur correspondent there — james waterhouse — has been giving geeta guru—murthy the latest. it's been a picture of calm, to be honest with you. we've had three air raid sirens but it's been a morning where it's still. there are even fewer people that we can see from our vantage point here on the street. you see armed volunteers stood next to professional soldiers on checkpoints and barricades and streets across the city. and you can't help but wonder, do they know what awaits them on the outskirts of the city? that 40—mile long armoured convoy 30 kilometres north remains in situ. army chiefs expect it to be joined by russian reinforcements working their way down.

but equally, you wonder if the invaders know what awaits them if or when they arrive here in the capital city, because what is happening across ukraine is that the ukrainians are fighting back. this is why we talk on the tenth day of this conflict where one city so far, only one major city has fallen. that said, there is intense fighting continuing. certainly in mariupol in the south—east. that is the last major location that separates advancing russian forces from crimea and separatist—held territories in luhansk and donetsk regions in eastern ukraine. and the worry is, is that those forces will then link up. also, uk officials reckon other cities are also falling under siege to russian troops. kharkiv in the east, another day there of intense fighting and shelling. chernihiv and sumy to the north—east as well. and the worry is that these forces will link up and more cities

will fall, allowing russian troops to then enclose on their ultimate prize in this so—called special military operation, the capital. james, we keep hearing about the potential strength of the russians. is it clear yet why that convoy is still stuck, why they haven't brought stronger forces in and haven't used more air power? western officials say part of russia's planning in this invasion has been poor, they say. they are talking about supply lines, replenishing fuel and food to troops as they move in. it is a sizeable country and it needs that kind of infrastructure. the other suggestion is that some of the equipment has failed. so vehicles are getting stuck in the mud. but what we have to remember here is that russia has far deeper military reserves than the ukrainian defenders. and what we are seeing, and army chiefs reckon,

russian troops are moving south from the direction of the border with belarus, bypassing cities that have seen heavy fighting, and just because that convoy is remaining in situ, no—one is relaxing. the worry is, is what we are seeing in these other ukrainian cities will soon happen here. now, president zelensky has asked nato for a no—fly zone. he wants western allies to police the skies and help him repel this russian advance, this sizeable russian advance. but what western leaders are saying is if that was to happen, if you had german, french or british jets in the sky shooting on russian planes, then you would have a much larger conflict, notjust in ukraine, but across the whole of europe. and interestingly, the uk defence secretary said actually a no—fly zone, he made the point, or the case, that that would actually play into russia's hands because of its superior artillery. but president zelensky has got a big

zoom meeting with the us senate today to ask for more help. he is going to talk about limiting the supply of russian gas, so he's trying to pull out all the stops, as he has done for the last few days in this unprecedented conflict. james waterhouse who was speaking to my colleague geeta guru—murthy earlier. these are some pictures that have come to us from the french capital paris, and this again another pro ukraine rally that is being held in one of a number of european cities today against the incursion of russia into ukraine. in terms of actions that have been taken in france itself, the latest line really is that a number of luxury companies including chanel,

lvmh, will temporarily close their shops. there are other marches that have been taking place against what russia has done. but in ukraine itself in kherson, which is the only so far occupied city by russia, protesters came out on the streets in the port city and around 2000 people were seen marching through that city centre waving flags and singing the ukrainian national anthem. the pictures you can see at the moment are from france, from the french capital paris, and you can see the ukrainian flag being held aloft as speakers have their turn on the podium, and the people very calmly listening in to what is being said. let's return to what is taking place around ukraine.

0ur correspondent kasia madera, is on the poland—ukraine border for us. this is what she said a little bit earlier. it is a huge movement of people. if you just put it into context how many people are travelling in such a short space of time. this is korczowa, yet another bus that has come just from the border. these people have made the crossing into poland and now they are being asked to come off the bus so they can go inside and get a little bit warmed up. bear in mind what these people have gone through. they have just crossed the border into poland and all of theirjourneys have been long and exhausting and uncertain. so the first arrival, the first time that they can come off and just reassess their situation. the children, the overwhelming number of children being greeted by volunteers. there are hundreds and hundreds of volunteers doing this

across the length of this chain... this area, which was once a car park and has been turned into this emergency situation, a meeting point where people can get off and think about what it is that they do next. next to us is a huge warehouse and it is where they have arranged an emergency place where people can get a bit of sleep. the us secretary of state anthony blinken who has been in warsaw talking to the polish prime minister, mateusz morawiecki. just a short time ago, he was here, he went inside this enormous warehouse to see for himself how the people that have just crossed over from ukraine, how they are. we are seeing just this overwhelmingly emotional scene, the children are exhausted. predominantly mums of course because the men have to stay and fight. ukrainian nationals have to stay and fight.

exhaustion and bewilderment. anthony blinken was here. he said about his visit that it was one of the most urgent moments in the long history between our two countries. and the us secretary of state added that the deployment of us soldiers to poland would continue. and he came here to korczowa to see for himself what these people have been experiencing. this is the first part of their now journey in poland and the next step to what do they do next? because such a huge number of people coming into this one country, bearing in mind how many people have been displaced from ukraine. there is a massive effort, an enormous effort about how these people then take the nextjourney. continuously, we hear people with questions via walkie—talkies

saying do you have places, do you have transport to go to warsaw or krakow? these people are being moved on because there is an understanding that more are coming. there are more people on the border and more will be coming. they will be brought here, they will be brought to various different places like this crossing and then they will be moved into other parts of poland. just have a look. they have just crossed, they are now in the safety of poland. poland is consistently saying that everybody, all nationalities who have to flee ukraine are welcome. all nationalities are welcome into this country. everybody will have the protection now that they are in the safety of this eu country, but of course with such a huge number of people on the move all the time, their uncertainty is enormous. there is a tremendous effort from all of the eu supporting this country given the large amount

of people coming just here. there was kasia madera reporting from the poland — ukraine border. we have some lines coming in from the imf, international monetary fund, the head of the organisation has been speaking at what she has said is the situation in ukraine remains highly fluid and the outlook is subject to extraordinary uncertainty. ukraine was already in a serious situation with surging energy and grain prices. that's going to be the consequences of this war, says kristalina georgieva of the imf. the sanctions on russia are going to have a substantial impact on the global economy with significant spill—overs to other countries. other key lines, the imf have let us know that ukraine has requested emergency financing of $1.3 billion, and that is under the

imf's $1.3 billion, and that is under the imf�*s rapid financing instrument, is how they describe it. they expect to bring ukraine financing, that request by ukraine, to the board for approval as early as next week. also approval as early as next week. also a request of a rephrasing of the existing imf programme. this is a request from moldova which says it needs that help to meet the costs of the current crisis. again underlying the current crisis. again underlying the severe impact to the overall global economy. a bit more coming into us here, the imf underlined the fact that countries with close economic ties to ukraine and russia are at particular risk of scarcity and the supply disruptions. and also

learning that the monetary authorities are going to have to carefully monitor the impact of the rising commodity prices on inflation, and the fiscal policy is going to need support, particularly for those more vulnerable households and offset for those rising living costs. just to remind you that on monday, that was 2nd of march, there was actually a joint statement that had been put out by the imf and world bank on 1st of march promising more than $5 billion in funding that would be available to ukraine. the lines i havejust read would be available to ukraine. the lines i have just read you are on top of that, and the imf at the time said it was evaluating ukraine's application for an emergency loan under its rapid financing instrument. that is on the financial

impact and cost of this crisis that's taking place between russia and ukraine. we are monitoring that carefully and will bring it to you as we get it. one more line, we understand the israeli prime minister is set to meet mr putin to discuss the crisis, the ukraine crisis. so that is coming to us from a spokesperson who says that the israeli prime minister will be meeting russia's president putin in the kremlin to discuss the crisis, the kremlin to discuss the crisis, the ukraine crisis. more as and when we get it. this is bbc news. hundreds of thousands of people have left ukraine for hungary. 0ur correspondent nick thorpe has the latest from budapest. this is one of the refugee trains that arrive in budapest every hour or so now at the west railway station.

you can see people getting off here from just arriving who probably crossed from ukraine, just probably last night or in the early hours of this morning. once they get off the train, they are met by people, translators, first of all, they are ushered through and then into the reception area here. already people, volunteers are offering help here. the police are trying to make sure people are safe. a gentleman here with a "can i help sign?" and then just inside the hall here, this is where the first help is actually made available. hot food, drinks. people from different church charities working here. so having met translators outside, being ushered

through into this very ornate hall of the west railway station. a lady here offering toothpaste, shampoo, all kind of things to offer to the mostly women and children arriving here at the station. those in the green jackets are from the reformed church charity. over on the other side, the hungarian red cross. that is where people can get a first cup of coffee or tea there. a lot of fruit and water. people arriving very thirsty from that long journey on the trains. and then as one comes out through the hall here, more donations arriving all the time here. and here this is where i think the first teddy bear

distribution centre. these are donations from the hungarian public here. obviously a great many children are arriving from ukraine now. 0h, from london in this case! thank you very much. and then carrying on out through the hall. so people by the time they have reached here, they have already had something to eat, hopefully and a hot drink and this is where they are starting to think how they are going to find a place to stay here in hungary or continue theirjourneys. and just behind me the blacktop tent there, that is a kind of accommodation hub. many people have been volunteering accommodation, places in flat�*s here and that is where they register to find out where they could find, where they could stay here in hungary. there are also places here, many signs offering people transport on.

so there is free wi—fi signs over there. and people here are gathering, trying to work out where they will go on to now, how long they might stay in hungary or at least where they can stay tonight. let's get the latest from the bbc sport centre. we'rejoined by karthi gnanasegaram. you been watching events very closely with regard to reaction to what is taking place. we have seen some tributes being held at football matches. but there've been many across the uk today with a full programme of premier league games? that is right. football matches in the uk making a statement this weekend to show that they are supporting ukraine with a minute's applause before all of the premier league games on saturday to show they are in solidarity with ukraine. plenty of yellow and blue flags on show, on the big screens and the

wraparound led screens on the pitch, with many supporters holding up blue and yellow scarves. fans applauded to show their solidarity. but chelsea fans were chanting a chance to show support to their russian owner. the owner said he will sell the club. it is interesting to know that chinese rights owner told the premier league that they would not be broadcasting english top—flight because of support that would be shown for ukraine. what further developments have there been concerning sporting sanctions and action against russian competitors? we see that the formula 1 russian driver has been sacked. drivers had been asked to sign a declaration

adherent to the principles of peace and neutrality. his father is a billionaire who gives financial backing through his chemicals company and is also a close associate of the russian president vladimir putin. his contract has been titled. and is part owned by the driver's father. there are those contradictions going on. i contradictions going on. i understand there has been some good news among the paralympics. what has taken place? it news among the paralympics. what has taken lace? ., , news among the paralympics. what has taken lace? .,, , news among the paralympics. what has taken lace? . , , . news among the paralympics. what has taken lace? , . ' . taken place? it has been a difficult “ourne taken place? it has been a difficult journey from _ taken place? it has been a difficult journey from the _ taken place? it has been a difficult journey from the team _ taken place? it has been a difficult journey from the team -- - taken place? it has been a difficult journey from the team -- for- taken place? it has been a difficult journey from the team -- for the l journey from the team —— for the ukraine team to get there. they top the top of the metal table. ukraine has won three gold medals. the first came from the by athlete who won the men's sprint standing event. it is actually six comoros long even though it is called the spread. and

then a women's sprint vision impaired was one as well. ukraine with a total of seven medals after the first day of the games in china are in second place.— are in second place. ok, we will leave it there _ are in second place. ok, we will leave it there for _ are in second place. ok, we will leave it there for now. - are in second place. ok, we will leave it there for now. thank . are in second place. ok, we will| leave it there for now. thank you very much for the update. russia's invasion of ukraine has sent shock waves across countries neighbouring russia, amongst them finland, which was invaded by the soviet union during the second world war. for the first time in the country's history, public opinion has shifted in favour ofjoining nato — that's the military alliance of 30 nations — despite president putin�*s threat of �*military and political consequences�*. our world affairs editor, john simpson, reports from the finnish—russian border. a finnish border patrol sets out along the line of the frontier. times are changing here.

russia�*s attack on ukraine has been a profound shock to people in finland, and a majority of finns now want to give up their old neutrality and join the western alliance. a solitary red post marks the point where russian territory begins. and so, as a direct consequence of the invasion of ukraine, and of russia�*s heavy—handed warning to finland not even to think aboutjoining nato, this could one day be the border between nato and russia. it�*s the precise opposite of what russia wanted. at the border crossing point, a steady line of russians coming into finland. there are rumours that president putin will soon introduce martial law, and plenty of people who don�*t agree with the invasion of ukraine are getting out in case of trouble

from the authorities. this student�*s one of them. so, while vladimir putin is in power, there is nothing much that can be done? mm—hm. for russians, coming to finland is an escape from the dangers of life there, but for people on this side of the border, there is realfear that the tensions within russia could boil over and engulf finland itself. john simpson, bbc news, on the finnish border with russia. i�*m joined now by kiril dovzhik, he�*s a dance teacher who left 0dessa at the beginning of the invasion to go back to his home city of zaporizhzhia to be with his mother and grandmother.

iamso i am so glad to say hejoins us now, really grateful you have ta ken i am so glad to say hejoins us now, really grateful you have taken the time to speak to us. first, tell us how everyone is.— time to speak to us. first, tell us how everyone is. well, today was a auiet da . how everyone is. well, today was a quiet day- thank — how everyone is. well, today was a quiet day. thank god. _ how everyone is. well, today was a quiet day. thank god. i _ how everyone is. well, today was a quiet day. thank god. i am - how everyone is. well, today was a quiet day. thank god. i am fine. i how everyone is. well, today was a l quiet day. thank god. i am fine. and my family are all 0k, healthy, that is the main thing. my family are all ok, healthy, that is the main thing.— is the main thing. what is it like where you _ is the main thing. what is it like where you are? _ is the main thing. what is it like where you are? in _ is the main thing. what is it like | where you are? in zaporizhzhia? is the main thing. what is it like i where you are? in zaporizhzhia? it is quiet at the moment, but there is a lot of stress and everybody is stressed. today i went to the train station to evacuate friends of mine, three ladies with three kids and i saw it was like a scene from the ship titanic, when people were trying to push women and children. they stood there for four hours and they still did not manage to leave.

the lines were massive to evacuate. it is understandable and understandable that lots of men are trying to get the women and kids out of the city, but also we have heard that they tried to bring people from mario pole... it is probably not the most dangerous place because people get evacuated to hear we are happy that today was a quiet day. we don�*t take the days for granted now. you said that some _ take the days for granted now. you said that some people particularly residents from mariupol they have been evacuated to zaporizhzhia. what has it been like since the nuclear power plant was struck? how are people feeling? do you have that sense of feeling safe or has that

changed? sense of feeling safe or has that chanced? ., , sense of feeling safe or has that chanced? .,, ., changed? there was no safe feeling for the last week _ changed? there was no safe feeling for the last week or _ changed? there was no safe feeling for the last week or so, _ changed? there was no safe feeling for the last week or so, but - changed? there was no safe feeling for the last week or so, but after i for the last week or so, but after the power plant especially. there are big lines to the pharmacies, people trying to get radiation tablets. but there is nothing left. people got out of their old stuff that they had already at home. people are in panic because of that, but not only in zaporizhzhia region, everywhere in ukraine. i hear lots of people from other places calling about this as well.— of people from other places calling about this as well. would you leave and if ou about this as well. would you leave and if you were. — about this as well. would you leave and if you were, we _ about this as well. would you leave and if you were, we are _ about this as well. would you leave and if you were, we are hearing - and if you were, we are hearing about a lot of other cities under siege, what with thatjourney look

like? siege, what with that “ourney look like? ., ~ ., ., like? you know, it cannot say where is the safest- _ like? you know, it cannot say where is the safest. if _ like? you know, it cannot say where is the safest. if people _ like? you know, it cannot say where is the safest. if people knew, - like? you know, it cannot say where is the safest. if people knew, half . is the safest. if people knew, half of them would go. for me, i don�*t consider leaving now. we decided to stay because the journey is dangerous. plus, my grandmother cannot walk. today when i saw what it was like at the train station, it is impossible for people with disabilities to go, to leave. they have to stay and hope for the best. unfortunately it is like this. there was like 200 people in one carriage, absolute madness. you was like 200 people in one carriage, absolute madness.— was like 200 people in one carriage, absolute madness. you keep saying it is dangerous — absolute madness. you keep saying it is dangerous and _ absolute madness. you keep saying it is dangerous and you _ absolute madness. you keep saying it is dangerous and you don't _ absolute madness. you keep saying it is dangerous and you don't feel- is dangerous and you don�*t feel

safe, thejourney is dangerous and you don�*t feel safe, the journey is dangerous. we have heard from some people who have made it to the polish order who said it was a hellish journey. what is it like travelling through the roads in ukraine? what are you hearing and what is the hesitancy? itrefoil ukraine? what are you hearing and what is the hesitancy?— what is the hesitancy? well i had a “ourne what is the hesitancy? well i had a journey from _ what is the hesitancy? well i had a journey from odesa _ what is the hesitancy? well i had a journey from odesa to _ what is the hesitancy? well i had a | journey from odesa to zaporizhzhia journey from 0desa to zaporizhzhia which took us around ten hours on a bus and that was the first day of the war. the drivers were real heroes to go for thatjourney because we went through kherson where the russian military were fighting against ukrainians. 0n where the russian military were fighting against ukrainians. on our road we saw russian tanks that was on fire. it was literally on the road and it was like some scary movie. wejust drove past road and it was like some scary

movie. we just drove past it. road and it was like some scary movie. wejust drove past it. we road and it was like some scary movie. we just drove past it. we saw ukrainian soldiers at night on the road with guns. we were just praying all the time that they understand that we are just a civilian bus and that we are just a civilian bus and that they are not going to shoot us. people who travel at the moment, i advised them not to because it is super dangerous. probably the train is the safest. in a car it is super dangerous. is the safest. in a car it is super dangerous-— is the safest. in a car it is super dancerous. ., . ,, ., ., dangerous. how are you doing for basic necessities, _ dangerous. how are you doing for basic necessities, food, _ dangerous. how are you doing for basic necessities, food, water? . basic necessities, food, water? there are attempts for humanitarian corridors to be set up to get medicine to those in need also food and water. are you 0k where you are at the moment? and water. are you ok where you are at the moment?— at the moment? there is not enough medicine for — at the moment? there is not enough medicine for sure _ at the moment? there is not enough medicine for sure and _ at the moment? there is not enough medicine for sure and not _ at the moment? there is not enough medicine for sure and not enough - at the moment? there is not enough medicine for sure and not enough for the army. constantly people are

bringing stuff to the volunteers who will take it to the ones in need. at the moment, we are ok forfood. i just got back from the shop there are still supplies there. of course, people run their crazy in the morning and try to get as much as possible so in the evening you see empty shelves. there is still new food coming. new vans with food coming. i don�*t see a massive problem in our city. coming. i don't see a massive problem in our city.— coming. i don't see a massive problem in our city. that is one iece of problem in our city. that is one piece of good _ problem in our city. that is one piece of good news, _ problem in our city. that is one piece of good news, we - problem in our city. that is one piece of good news, we will. problem in our city. that is one | piece of good news, we will take that. thank you very much for speaking to us here on bbc news and do stay safe. speaking to us here on bbc news and do stay safe-— do stay safe. thank you for your time. do stay safe. thank you for your time- thank— do stay safe. thank you for your time. thank you. _ in the last hour, 0lena sotnyk who is an adviser to deputy prime minister of ukraine spoke to my colleague geeta guru murthy —

about the safety of the people in ukraine who decided to stay — and the threat they were facing. they are in the same position as ukrainians. there is no difference. we are trying to save both international and ukrainians. the problem is the humanitarian situation, of course. we are trying to negotiate these green corridors, safe corridors, to evacuate people, and maybe you have been reporting about the preliminary agreement of the russians to give a green corridorfrom mariupol to evacuate children and women. and then after this agreement, theyjust immediately ignored the ceasefire, and we couldn�*t get a ceasefire so we couldn�*t get people from those territories. the same with kherson and the same with kharkiv.

we had 50 or 60 children in devastating, problematic circumstances and conditions. it is true there is a huge lack of basic resource. a lack of municipal services like heating, water and sometimes even electricity. problems with connection. we are really trying to push hard but even the red cross are telling us, guys, we can help you to provide humanitarian corridors but you need to get some approval from the russian side. what is my main worry and what hurts me a lot that the main target and the main strategy of putin and the russian federation is not military, it is not army, it is our civilians. mainly, they are just committing genocide of the population, because

the main strategy, what they are doing, they are surrounding cities with military forces and then they don�*t let us get in in order to evacuate people and in order to just deliver them basic needs, basic products. and one more thing which is also very important, they are hitting both humanitarian infrastructure — so hospitals, for example — and also they are trying to destroy our critical infrastructure. so, nuclear plants, you have heard i think about, and now we expect the same attack in a region not far away from 0desa, which is not far away from mariupol,

sorry, 0desa and kherson. and we expect that if they are going to control both nuclear plants, then 35% of electricity supply could be blocked. it means a blackout for a third of our population. and one more thing which is awful. i don�*t know how to say it. now more than 1 million children in ukraine are just trapped with military actions. so they are on the territories which are either controlled or blocked with russian military and we can�*t get them out. we don�*t know how to evacuate them. so answering your question, yes, we want to do this, we are ready to do this, we are ready to provide full support for international people who want to leave, we are ready to

provide, of course, and first of all to our children and women, and also people with heavy disease because we also have this problem, but there is no movement from the russian side. they don�*t want to provide us with a ceasefire and we can�*t get them safely from these territories. this is the main problem. it is absolutely awful to hear this and see this unfolding in front of us in the last few days. we are all incredibly impressed by the resilience of your country. can i ask you a difficult question? there are these talks going on, the possibility of a third round. do you think that any territory should be offered to moscow in order to try and end their invasion, if that would do it?

putin has said he wants to take the whole country. but should there be even a thought of a political negotiation here to save lives? yes, it is a very difficult question because we are talking about giving land with people who are living in those territories. those are also lives. and secondly, why do you think that if you offered putin something that he will not feel that he is powerful enough to move on? there is no faith in any agreement with russians, this is the problem. i think the main mistake of europe, sorry, all of the whole civilised world is that you think you can talk to him or negotiate with him or trade with him. russia and especially putin,

he is not a normal guy. he does not have values. if you are not going to show him power and strength, he is not going to stop. in ukrainian, we have a very good proverb about this. i will try to translate it, he understands just the language of... he just understands the language of strength. if you want to stop him you have to show him you are strong, brave and you are not going to give up. and what i can see from the west is first of all about sanctions, they are not united enough, i would say. some countries like great britain imposed harsh sanctions, but some countries, they are trying to trade. so we did not see sanctions

on banks, for example. swift was switched off to many russian banks, but there is a bank in russia still operating and they can trade through that bank with european countries. we saw also differences about embargoes on oil and gas. today we received information that it seems that shell company is also thinking about trading with russia because they are ready to give huge discounts on oil. it is about the double standards, but today, somebody is trying to trade and earn money on this war, but tomorrow, other countries, not ukraine, if he is not going to stop in ukraine, then it will be another country and obviously it is not going to be a country out of europe,

but it will be a country in the european union. yes, the worry about expansionism is there. i completely hear your plea for more help and assistance. everybody massively, massively sympathises with that plea. can i just ask you one other point as well? because we saw a huge level of fear ratchet up with the attacks on the nuclear power plant. do you know whether now, as far as you can, the ukrainian authorities are trying to close down the other nuclear power plants in case they also are attacked? or would that mean you would lose too much of your electricity and your power supply? first of all, we are not deep experts in how nuclear plants operate, but even for my general

understanding and i have been briefed by the energy minister, you cannotjust switch off a nuclear plant. also one more danger each nuclear plants, of course, the storage of nuclear waste and it is also very dangerous if, for example, this nuclear waste storage is attacked. it will be the same risk of a huge, huge ecological collapse for all of europe, notjust ukraine or part of ukraine. it will be a huge problem for all of europe. let�*s imagine we will shut off and switch off a nuclear power plant, it does not mean they are not dangerous because nuclear waste is there. that is the first problem

and the second problem is, for example, there is a nuclear plant that is operating, and it is surrounded with the military, but they gave the opportunity to our staff of the nuclear plant to enter and to continue to operate and administrate everything. and i hope they are not going to refuse in the future because otherwise we will all be in a huge danger. adviser to the deputy prime minister in ukraine. she spoke to my colleague earlier. before we leave for a few moments, i�*m going to remind you of the developments we have had here coming into us at the bbc news. 0ne developments we have had here coming into us at the bbc news. one of the key ones coming from the imf, they met earlier today. they have said in

a statement that the situation remains highly fluid and the outlook is subject to extraordinary uncertain terry —— uncertainty and the economic consequences are already very serious. the sanctions will also have a very severe impact notjust will also have a very severe impact not just on will also have a very severe impact notjust on ukraine, but on the global economy. and also referred to a request that ukraine made for $1.1; billion in emergency funding. that request is set to go before the board this week, hopefully with a decision being made very soon after. the other top line we are going to bring you is concerning mariupol. if you have been watching, you know there was going to be humanitarian corridor set up, which would have led 200,000 civilian leave, that had looked to have collapsed earlier and

it appears now that we are getting confirmation that russia has resumed its offensive against mariupol. stay with us, plenty more coming up. hello our weather is much quieter thanit hello our weather is much quieter than it was in february. most of the sunshine today in northern ireland and scotland. here is a view from one of our weather watchers. a much cloudier picture coming in. underneath this area of cloud it is damp and drizzly and breezy feeling quite cold. a contrast between the cloudy conditions and a lot of sunshine elsewhere. the cloud from this weather front that has been hanging around gradually is pushing further west overnight and into tomorrow. it is beginning to decay. 0vernight it will take more cloud across more of the midlands, wales and southwest england. 0utbreaks across more of the midlands, wales and southwest england. outbreaks of rain and drizzle around. temperatures will hold just above

freezing where there is the cloud. elsewhere you are likely to get a frost. coldest in rural parts of northern ireland and scotland. —5 2-8. northern ireland and scotland. —5 2—8. plenty of sunshine around on sunday. forwales 2—8. plenty of sunshine around on sunday. for wales and england there will be some sunny spells but for the southern half there will be areas of thick cloud. patchy light rain and drizzle turning to brighten up. it looks like a brighter day on the eastern side compared to today. this wind will be stronger and have more of a chilling effect. stronger wind in the far northwest of scotland. even where there is a lot of sunshine, the temperatures will be a degree or so down compared to today. 0vernight and monday, the cloud will break up across southern areas. more clear spells, you will see a touch of frost. more widespread us as —— more widespread as monday begins. monday is looking like a quiet day with high pressure

close by, a breezier picture in the west and some areas of cloud drifting from the south to the north across the uk would sunny spells around as well. most places are looking drive. it will be chilly particularly in the breeze. we will have another frost on tuesday. from the midweek on words, very uncertain with the day—to—day details, but the overall pattern looks like high pressure moves away and low pressure in the atlantic will move in and we will see outbreaks of rain, a windier picture particular in the west but also with that, things are turning milder.

this is bbc news — welcome if you�*re watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories... russia resumes its offensive in mariupol after a so—called ceasefire ends — it was supposed to allow the evacuation of civilians but it wasn�*t observed. they continue to destroy mariupol. we decided to move our citizens back because it is not safe to be on the streets. just to know that they are alive. like, every time i close my eyes, i can see and hear my mum and hear the voice of my dad, and i don't know if i will hear them again. sorry... protests against russian occupation in ukraine have broken out in kherson, the only big city

to have been captured so far.