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. 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. we're starting with breaking news — and reports that russia is resuming what it calls "offensive actions" in ukraine. according to the afp news agency, in a video call a spokesman

for the russian defence ministry blamed what it says is, "the unwillingness of the ukrainian side to influence nationalists "or extend the ceasefire." that was a quote from russia. these reports come after the evacuation of up to 200,000 civilians from the southern port city of mariupol was postponed, with city authorities blaming russian forces for ceasefire violations. 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 criticsed 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. translation: the sanctions which are being imposed, - they are akin to declaring a war.

but thank god it hasn't come to that yet. and i think that understanding of what it is fraught with and what threat it brings for everybody is nevertheless present among our so—called partners, irrespective of their reckless statements. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner has this round—up of the latest developments. siren drones. 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's 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 try to encircle and besiege the capital, 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 and the rounds of negotiations, it is difficult to comment on them. what 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 that the road from mariupol to zaporizhzhia is safe. but we received information that there are hard fights on this road — a place on the road to zaporizhzhia — and it's not safe to go via this

road because of these fights. so we have two objections — first of the continuous shelling of mariupol and next the fights from... 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's 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. 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. well, all of today, i've spent time speaking to volunteers who were at an arts centre where they were making camouflage nets for the military. at least 200 volunteers that had gathered there and they make about a0 nets a day and the army comes and picks it up and takes it to 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, "0ur 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 and 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." so the video you are seeing is of that little girl's birthday party. president zelensky has been holding a behind closed door meeting with us senators via internet. let's get more on this from our washington correspondent david willis. what happened ? what happened? what was said?

this was the first opportunity for volodymyr zelensky to make a direct pitch, if you like, two us lawmakers in regards to requirements for him and his forces there in ukraine and he made that pitch to around 280 lawmakers from both parties via that secure video link. he called in particularfor russian secure video link. he called in particular for russian fighterjets particular for russian fighter jets and particular for russian fighterjets and rooms. these are not things that the us can directly supply. they would have to be supplied from eastern europe but they are needed because they are the sort of aircraft that members of the ukrainian army know how to fly. the response to that request was sympathetic, i hear, and, indeed, senators will be suggesting or calling upon eastern european partners to provide those aircraft. there were other requests and points made by volodymyr zelensky that the united states is unable to honour,

of course. these include a no—fly zone over his country. nato allies have said that that is a nonstarter forfear have said that that is a nonstarter for fear of drawing nato allies into this conflict and also a ban on the import to the united k atomic states of russian oil and the white house says they nixed that one for the simple reason that there were already escalating prices of oil, inflation are seen more than a0 year high here in the united states in banning imports of russian oil would only serve to push prices up but mist and zelensky also calling for additional military and humanitarian aid. that was favourably received and of course there is of any request from the white house for $10 billion in aid that is likely to be approved. —— mr zelensky calling. fin approved. -- mr zelensky calling. on that approved. —— mrzelensky calling. on that point of aid, last week, or

early in the week, and in the us had pledged military aid. the line was that it would be going to poland. has it now started to come through? as it fed through?— as it fed through? certainly it is still something _ as it fed through? certainly it is still something that _ as it fed through? certainly it is still something that is _ as it fed through? certainly it is still something that is being - still something that is being considered and is likely to be approved pretty quickly. there is bipartisan support for volodymyr zelensky, for the role that he is playing there. indeed, one lawmaker this week likened him to winston churchill so the us are very keen to provide all it can within parameters, of course. provide all it can within arameters, of course. . ~ parameters, of course. thank you in much for that _ parameters, of course. thank you in much for that speaking _ parameters, of course. thank you in much for that speaking to _ parameters, of course. thank you in much for that speaking to us - parameters, of course. thank you in much for that speaking to us from . much for that speaking to us from washington. david willis bear. 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 this morning but it's another 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 in streets across the city, and you can't help but wonder, do they know what awaits them on the outskirts of the city? that a0—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 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 the 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. and 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, you know, strongerforces in,

why they haven't used more air power? western officials say part of russia's planning in this invasion has been poor, they say. they're talking about supply lines, replenishing fuel and food to troops as they move in. because it's 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. and the worry 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's 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 speaking to my colleague did guru murphy.

james waterhouse speaking to my colleague geeta guru—murphy. nearly a thousand indian students are trapped in a number of hostels in sumy, one of ukraine's conflict zones. they say they have nowhere to go, no food and no water and are fearing for their lives. they have sent a desperate plea to the indian government to help save them. let's just show you some of that video. translator: in order to go, we'll need to exit the hostel, | and there are snipers outside everywhere. every 30 minutes to one hour there's shelling and air strikes. it's freezing outside — as you can see, it's sub—zero temperatures outside. how do we step out when it's freezing outside? we have been requesting the indian government to rescue us from here. we fear we will die here, we'll die if we step out. please help us, government of india. we don't have food, we don't have access to water. please help us. ellen is a international third year medical student from tanzania who is currently stuck in sumy

a city north—east of ukraine, bordering russia, with approximately 500—700 other students there from africa. due to the safety and security situation in ukraine ellen has asked us not to show her face and only use herfirst name.. ellen, hello, can you hear me? yes, i can hear— ellen, hello, can you hear me? yes, i can hear yom _ ellen, hello, can you hear me? yes, i can hear yom i— ellen, hello, can you hear me? yes, i can hear you. i wonder _ ellen, hello, can you hear me? yes, i can hear you. i wonder if _ ellen, hello, can you hear me? yes, i can hear you. i wonder if you - i can hear you. i wonder if you could start — i can hear you. i wonder if you could start off— i can hear you. i wonder if you could start off by _ i can hear you. i wonder if you could start off by telling - i can hear you. i wonder if you could start off by telling me . i can hear you. i wonder if you i could start off by telling me how you are? could start off by telling me how ou are? �* . ., , could start off by telling me how ou are? a . , ., could start off by telling me how ou are? n ., , ., , you are? actually, right now, in my hostel, i would _ you are? actually, right now, in my hostel, i would say _ you are? actually, right now, in my hostel, i would say that _ you are? actually, right now, in my hostel, i would say that i _ you are? actually, right now, in my hostel, i would say that i am - you are? actually, right now, in my hostel, i would say that i am safe l hostel, i would say that i am safe but speaking of mentally and psychologically we are damaged, all students. very scared, crying. it is tiresome, the fiat... we are scared. we are really scared. we want to go home and we need help. ijust we are really scared. we want to go home and we need help.— home and we need help. i 'ust said there, home and we need help. i 'ust said there. you-ve * home and we need help. i 'ust said there, you've said h home and we need help. i 'ust said there, you've said that h home and we need help. ijust said there, you've said that you - home and we need help. ijust said there, you've said that you are - there, you've said that you are scared and ijust told our view is that it scared and ijust told our view is thatitis

scared and ijust told our view is that it is due to the security and safety situation that obviously you want to be anonymous. who are you scared of. what you scared of? warnings of bombs, shells. we don't have food. two days ago a one day ago i think it was shelled up. some don't have electricity and some have water usage so it is a very big challenge. you don't have water, you don't have electricity and your staff are not going to know what happens next. there is no food, speaking of food. supermarkets have no food surplus and any moment it is going to get so bad. speaking of medicine, some students asthmatic, diabetic. we go to the pharmacies

with time, curfew time, and then there is no medicine and soon anything can happen if there is no help. we need help. that was �*s it. we are stuck here. we didn't ask for this. we need to be helped. every student is looking for a different way to get out in every kind of way but then there is no way they are asking for humanitarian, every kind of green covered or whatever it is, we need help to leave the city. we are tired and cannot work even from today from tomorrow, it is getting cold and if it is getting cold and there is no food what is next? there is no light. there is no water. we are scared. we have psychological breakdown right now, mental breakdown, and...— breakdown right now, mental breakdown, and... helen? helen, i can hear you _ breakdown, and... helen? helen, i can hear you are — breakdown, and... helen? helen, i can hear you are upset. _ breakdown, and... helen? helen, i can hear you are upset. are - breakdown, and... helen? helen, i can hear you are upset. are you - breakdown, and... helen? helen, i can hear you are upset. are you ok can hear you are upset. are you 0k to carry on? i do all right to carry

on talking? let me ask you the next question. if you'd like me to stop at any time you let me know. i understand there had been some agreement with i know tanzania to try and evacuate some of the tanzanian students via the russian border. what's the feeling amongst tanzanians about that plan? do they feel safe heading to russia?- feel safe heading to russia? weird. we don't know. _ feel safe heading to russia? weird. we don't know. we _ feel safe heading to russia? weird. we don't know. we don't _ feel safe heading to russia? weird. we don't know. we don't know. - feel safe heading to russia? weird. i we don't know. we don't know. we're just waiting for feedback. we are waiting for anything but we don't know. we currently don't know. so now here so we are waiting for word from anywhere where it is going to come but we also have a letter that shows you can be evacuated but then we are waiting, we are on a waiting list. ., , ., we are waiting, we are on a waiting list. ., ,, , ,., ~' we are waiting, we are on a waiting list. . i. , ., ,~/ list. have you spoken to your parents? _ list. have you spoken to your parents? yes, _ list. have you spoken to your parents? yes, i _ list. have you spoken to your

parents? yes, i have. - list. have you spoken to your parents? yes, i have. and i list. have you spoken to your. parents? yes, i have. and was list. have you spoken to your- parents? yes, i have. and was the same to you? _ parents? yes, i have. and was the same to you? my _ parents? yes, i have. and was the same to you? my parents - parents? yes, i have. and was the same to you? my parents are - parents? yes, i have. and was the - same to you? my parents are worried, ou know? same to you? my parents are worried, you know? they _ same to you? my parents are worried, you know? they are _ same to you? my parents are worried, you know? they are worried _ same to you? my parents are worried, you know? they are worried so - same to you? my parents are worried, you know? they are worried so i - same to you? my parents are worried, you know? they are worried so i need| you know? they are worried so i need to be strong for them but so far i can't do it. —— which so far i can do. can't do it. -- which so far i can do. ., ., ,. , ., , do. you have described how perilous the situation — do. you have described how perilous the situation is. _ do. you have described how perilous the situation is. how— do. you have described how perilous the situation is. how long _ do. you have described how perilous the situation is. how long do - do. you have described how perilous the situation is. how long do you - the situation is. how long do you think you can actually stay where you are? we think you can actually stay where ou are? ~ ., �* ., ., think you can actually stay where man? .,�* ., ., , you are? we don't want to stay loner. you are? we don't want to stay longer- we — you are? we don't want to stay longer. we are _ you are? we don't want to stay longer. we are scared - you are? we don't want to stay longer. we are scared of- you are? we don't want to stay longer. we are scared of going | you are? we don't want to stay i longer. we are scared of going to the bank and we have been going morning and evening and there is so much darkness inside there, we are lost. 11 days from day one we are going down, day two going down, sirens have been something that had been normal to us, what kind of life is that? we need help. today's students are trying to voice them. if you look at the news and instagram posts of every student they are trying to ask for help. indians, africans, everybody is voicing out help, looking at instagram posts everyone is trying to show something even though it is

very hard to reach there but everybody is trying to get through. we need help at this point, at this moment. we need actions, we need buses to take us to places where we can be safe, places where we can sleep knowing that tomorrow we are not going to wake up thinking about the bond shelling somewhere. we're going to hear some different voices. we need safety. we are scared. we are crying. i have been in the bunkers down there. 0k, are crying. i have been in the bunkers down there. ok, i might strong enough, but the little girl stand there crying. —— there are little girls down there crying. we need help. we need help all in all. i'm going to say thank you for sharing your story and giving us an idea of what it is like in sumy at the moment. i'm wish you all the best. thank you very much. thank you. best. thank you very much. thank ou. ., ~' best. thank you very much. thank

ou. ., ~ , ., 0ur correspondent kasia madera, is on the poland—ukraine border for us. . .. 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're being asked to come off the bus so that they can go inside and just get a little bit warmed up. bear in mind what these people have gone through. they've just crossed the border into poland and all of theirjourneys to get to this stage have been long, 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 exactly this across the length of this chain of... this area, which was once a car park and has been turned into this emergency situation, a meeting point where people can just get off and then think about what it is that they do next. now, next to us is a huge, huge warehouse and it's where they have arranged an emergency place where people can get a bit of sleep. and 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. because we're seeing just this overwhelmingly emotional scenes. the children are exhausted.

predominantly mums, of course, because the men have to stay in ukraine to fight, the ukrainian nationals have to stay and fight. exhaustion and bewilderment and tiredness. 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 steps, 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 "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're 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're 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 will be a tremendous effort

the whole of the eu supporting this country given the large amount of people that are coming just to here. there was kasia madera reporting from the poland — ukraine border. ukraine has accused russia of violating the ceasefire was agreed on saturday. the plan violating the ceasefire was agreed on saturday. the plan was violating the ceasefire was agreed on saturday. the plan was to violating the ceasefire was agreed on saturday. the plan was to leave cities in the besieged mouth to make south—east of the country, namely marie apple. fighting has now resumed. now on bbc news, unspun world. thank you forjoining me for unspun world — only programme will we discussed the question is 50 bbc�*s

unrivalled range of experts will stop this is helsinki, a city with a particular history, caught between russia and the west. then land has experienced russian occupation and invasion. in this programme, are there any stirrings of peace talk over ukraine yet?— there any stirrings of peace talk over ukraine yet? what is the way of allowin: over ukraine yet? what is the way of allowing that — over ukraine yet? what is the way of allowing that to _ over ukraine yet? what is the way of allowing that to be _ over ukraine yet? what is the way of allowing that to be assessed? - over ukraine yet? what is the way of allowing that to be assessed? a - over ukraine yet? what is the way of allowing that to be assessed? a way| allowing that to be assessed? a way that gives putin a way out. what allowing that to be assessed? a way that gives putin a way out.— that gives putin a way out. what are russians being _ that gives putin a way out. what are russians being told _ that gives putin a way out. what are russians being told about _ that gives putin a way out. what are russians being told about a - that gives putin a way out. what are russians being told about a war - that gives putin a way out. what arej russians being told about a war that the media on even call it war? for the media on even call it war? for the russian _ the media on even call it war? for the russian authorities, media is a tool they— the russian authorities, media is a tool they can use in order to control_ tool they can use in order to control what people see. and what effect will be _ control what people see. and what effect will be surprising _ control what people see. and what effect will be surprising western i effect will be surprising western solidarity over ukraine have on china? ~ ., solidarity over ukraine have on china? ~ . ., ,, , solidarity over ukraine have on china? ~ . ., , , , ., china? whatever happens now, the west's action _

china? whatever happens now, the west's action will _ china? whatever happens now, the west's action will serve _ china? whatever happens now, the west's action will serve notice - china? whatever happens now, the west's action will serve notice to i west's action will serve notice to beijing — west's action will serve notice to bei'inu. ,, ., west's action will serve notice to bei'in., ,, ., , , west's action will serve notice to bei'inu. ,, . , , ., west's action will serve notice to bei'inu. ,, ., , .,, beijing. russia seems to be getting more and more _ beijing. russia seems to be getting more and more indiscriminate - beijing. russia seems to be getting more and more indiscriminate in i beijing. russia seems to be getting more and more indiscriminate in its bombings and is being accused of using some very nasty weapons indeed, to cluster bombs to thermobaric bomb is. there is an urgent need for a peace initiative. but usually that only starts to work when versailles start to realise they can't win. still, efforts are starting. —— when both sides. james landale has been talking about any early signs of peace talks. that was some discussion _ early signs of peace talks. that was some discussion between _ early signs of peace talks. that was some discussion between ukraine l early signs of peace talks. that was i some discussion between ukraine and russia, we have seen those initial talks. there is not a great sense of these will produce any great results because talks have to happen after stability has been reached on the battlefield, and we are simply not

at that stage at the moment. what at that stage at the moment. what mi . ht at that stage at the moment. what miaht be at that stage at the moment. what might be the _ at that stage at the moment. what might be the sort _ at that stage at the moment. what might be the sort of— at that stage at the moment. what might be the sort of shape of a final disengagement? there will be something at some stage, even if it's a year or ten years down the line. �* , , ., it's a year or ten years down the line. a ., line. as you say, it might take a lot of time _ line. as you say, it might take a lot of time and _ line. as you say, it might take a lot of time and there _ line. as you say, it might take a lot of time and there are - line. as you say, it might take a lot of time and there are an - line. as you say, it might take a l lot of time and there are an awful lot of time and there are an awful lot of time and there are an awful lot of variables in the short term that was simply that the how it will pan out. how far will the russian invasion go? how much territory well it occupied? what will happen to the current ukrainian government? does it involve death or exile for president zelensky and other leaders? we simply don't know. on the evidence of the ukrainian resistance in early days, that would suggest an insurgency would continue. what does the west do with the insurgency? does it feel that with weapons and ammunition? if it does, how does that do that without escalating the situation?

insurgencies can at last years. i read some research recently nothing on average an insurgency last between eight and ten years was like in iraq. like in iraq, like in afghanistan. these things take time. then we are in a situation of how long is the west prepared to isolate russia economically? how long is it willing to support that insurgency? then we get to the end game, what is the way, if that is a way, of potentially allowing there to be a cessation of hostilities, some kind of russian withdrawal, in a way that gives putin a way out but in a way that does not compromise western principles and does not give away too much of ukraine's interest. has it been a failure _ too much of ukraine's interest. has it been a failure of western diplomacy, or do you think with hindsight it was pretty inevitable he would do it? in hindsight it was pretty inevitable he would do it?— hindsight it was pretty inevitable he would do it? , ., , .,

he would do it? in my view, it was a failure of diplomacy _ he would do it? in my view, it was a failure of diplomacy dating - he would do it? in my view, it was a failure of diplomacy dating back - he would do it? in my view, it was a failure of diplomacy dating back to l failure of diplomacy dating back to the fall of the soviet union. the fact that the west failed to go that step further to incorporate russia into the new european security architecture. could the west have been more robust with crimea, moldova, georgia? we are at the stage now where many thinks footing and do what he wants because the west can have an path but won't blow his house down. 0ne west can have an path but won't blow his house down. one thing i have found very striking is the degree of diplomatic activity by the west and the unity within the west. particularly germany, of course. what a surprise that has been. german has transformed its post—war foreign policy. in the blink of an eye it has promised to raise its defence spending, it has promised to allow weapons to go from germany to ukraine. all you think they have refused to do because of the war guilt and the whole structure that has been built into them. do

guilt and the whole structure that has been built into them.- has been built into them. do you think it can _ has been built into them. do you think it can be _ has been built into them. do you think it can be limited _ has been built into them. do you think it can be limited to - has been built into them. do you. think it can be limited to ukraine? 0rare you think it can be limited to ukraine? or are you worried it's going to get really but bad and we could all start to suffer? i really but bad and we could all start to suffer?— really but bad and we could all start to suffer? ., , , .. , start to suffer? i worry because the one thing i— start to suffer? i worry because the one thing i have _ start to suffer? i worry because the one thing i have lent _ start to suffer? i worry because the one thing i have lent in _ start to suffer? i worry because the one thing i have lent in last - start to suffer? i worry because the one thing i have lent in last few - one thing i have lent in last few days as the world has changed. i need to change the way i have been thinking for years about the way i thinking for years about the way i think about how the western european security auditor operates. we are now in a new phase, a new world. russia has done things we think are pretty unthinkable. we are in a crisis here. there is evidence of miscalculation. you have no till building up their forces. miscalculation. you have no till building up theirforces. —— you have no till building up their forces. nato air space is knocking up forces. nato air space is knocking up against russian airspace. the potential for error up against russian airspace. the potentialfor error is up against russian airspace. the potential for error is significant. suppose switzerland joined nato, how

would that change things? —— suppose finland. i think russia would view that as a hostile act, they have been very clear about that. i think nato might think strategically in the long run, it would be good to have these countries in their membership, but at the height of a crisis like this, whether that is the right moment to do that, i think would give positive thought. for years now, president putin has been squeezing russia's once lively and opinionated media to the point where independent voices have largely been silenced. so, what are most russians hearing about the war that's being fought in their name? 0lga robinson from the bbc�*s russian monitoring department is herself half ukrainian and half russian. i think when it comes to russian disinformation, what you need to understand is that

there's a whole industry of media narratives and media outlets that work essentially in unison. state run, state operated or pro—kremlin, privately owned by still pro—kremlin in in their output. for more than half of the population, television is still the main source of news, and this is the core electorate for vladimir putin. apart from television, you've got pro—kremlin news websites, news agencies, you've got influencers on social media, media personalities that are incredibly popular. you would have a statement from, let's say, the russian defence ministry talking about atrocities in ukraine, and then that would be picked up by a range of media outlets, creating this sense of wide support for the narrative. and it essentially creates almost like a parallel reality at the moment.

at the moment russian state tv is not even mentioning "invasion" or "war." what they're talking about is a special military operation. for the russian authorities, the media is a tool that they can use in order to control or manage what people see to a certain extent what they think. so, this is a typical example of what any russian viewer would see on their screens last weekend. so, these are programmes that have been given lots of airtime, and they feature all sorts of experts from russian mps to pundits, pro—kremlin pundits, usually, with the occasion token liberal thrown in the mix. these programmes support these narratives. that the situation in ukraine is so bad we really need to act and act now. tell me about the broader type of

propaganda coverage that there is. there's a whole host of daytime talk shows that are incredibly anti—western and anti—ukrainian in their nature. they're absolutely full of discussions of international politics, and these programmes have been described by some analysts in russia as politics for housewives. what you're passively consuming is narratives that are in line with what you would normally hear on current affairs programme, but it's presented in a more kind of friendly way. they have now replaced some entertainment programmes, like the russian equivalent of dancing with the stars or who wants to be a millionaire. these were gone last weekend. well, if i may say so, you're i think half russian

and half ukrainian. what are people like your parents, because there's so many mixed marriages between ukrainians and russians, what do they think? i think for many people from mixed marriages and from mixed families, it's what's happening in ukraine is just unbelievably tragic. just simply because, you know, an invasion of a country where half your relatives live is, it's almost like, you know, bombing your own, your neighbors and your friends, your relatives. and ijust... i mean, it's a very emotional topic because my grandmother still lives in ukraine. i think, in those families, there's a consensus that what is happening isjust unbelievable, and it's surreal. just a bad dream. it's a bad dream that people woke up to on thursday morning and theyjust can't wake up. in the run—up to the invasion of ukraine, and since western of ukraine, and since, western intelligence has been amazingly accurate in its forecasts

of what russia would do. how did it manage this? i turned to gordon carrera, the bbc�*s security correspondent. it's astounding how accurate it was and also how public they made it, which is very unusual. how did they get it? there are a couple of possibilities. one is that they've got some agents inside the russian military or the kremlin, people who have access to the plans. people, human agents, that would be run by m16 or the cia. the other option is, if you like, the electronic signals world. so, the west invests a huge amount in the big collection bureaucracies of gchq and america's nsa, which suck up signals and intercept communications from russia. and it's possible either through, say, cyber espionage, hacking into the russian military�*s

own internal systems, or through intercepting their communications, they've got the plans. but of course, as you say, the possibility exists that somebody in putin's entourage is working for the west. the russians will fear that there's someone there, and what you're likely to be seeing now is a spy hunt within moscow. will be desperately trying to find out, is there a mole at a high level? is there someone providing the battle plans? are our communications leaky? how do the west know about it? and if it is a person, they could be at great risk? does western intelligence use kind of psychological profiling and so on? they must do. to work out what's in putin's own mind? certainly, particularly in a big organisation like the cia, they employ these kind of psychologists to read the mind of their adversary to try and just get any insight into someone like vladimir putin, which is quite hard because this is a man who makes decisions himself.

he has quite a small circle around him of close advisers, and in the last two years, he's not wanted to meet people. he's stayed, you know, in his own bubble. you know, even now, people are sat at the end of desks far away from him when they meet. so, trying to get intelligence on him and understand his mindset is actually quite hard. so, all that isolation that he's been through, i mean, that might explain quite a lot about the anger that seems to be welling up in him against ukraine. you've definitely got this sense from putin that the anger at what he sees as russia's humiliation has been growing, and that's really what he came into power for at the turn of the millennium, was as someone who was going to restore russia after a decade of humiliation, of being on the back foot economically, politically, militarily, in the terms of the spy wars, the language about russia being besieged and under attack, you know the sense in

which perhaps he believes some of his own rhetoric. it's notjust for public display. i think that will be worrying people, because it suggests someone whose judgment may not be as rational as we might think it is. there is an unpredictability to him. if he were to decide to use nuclear weapons, i mean, he's reminded us rather heavy handedly, hasn't he, that he's got them and that they are on the table. how quickly would we know that? well, a huge kind of intelligence machine was built up in the cold war to answerjust that question. so, they would study using satellite imagery, using communications intercepts, the behavior of the russian military and particularly the bits that looked after nuclear weapons, bombers, submarines, as far as they can see them, missile silos. what does normal look like? what does an exercise look like? and then they would look for the abnormal.

there's a change in behavior. and those are the kind of signals they'll be looking for now to try and understand, actually, is this just rhetoric or are they really moving to a higher state of alert? or are they even moving potentially to a launch? but there's also a slight sense of instability and fear about what could happen, and would we really know and what is russian doctrine? could they use tactical weapons on the battlefield? what would that mean? so i think there is some uncertainty. fascinating times. fascinating, dark, difficult. not times i think many of us expected even those who've been. if you like pessimistic about russia west relations over recent years after salisbury, after skripal, who felt, yeah, things are getting worse and they could get worse. even with that, i think the thought that would be where we are now, i think is a pretty dark surprise. for some years now, china has been russia's big supporter on the international stage, though it's been noticeable since the invasion of ukraine that

that support is a little bit less warm. now china is offering to help facilitate peace talks over the whole crisis. i asked howard jiang, the head of the bbc china service, what all this meant. the whole world is calling it a war, except russia and china. china is calling it "a situation." occasionally, you see a mention of a special operation. but most people, if you check deeper on their social media sharing, more and more people are getting the sense what's going on. about half of the netizens in china, in the social media scape, are singing whatever the government is telling them, saying this is all us' doing by continue to push for nato expansion. now you ask for it. finally, we got a decisive leader

who's going to push back. but at the same time, also even on the very restricted chinese social media space, you start to see people challenging this view. recently, we had five professors... this is really rare now in china with all the crackdowns. openly coming out, calling for peace and denouncing the war. and also, we have lots and lots of people online praising the bravery of the ukrainians, but those posts may not stay too long. we thought that the china—russia relationship was so strong that china was actually making it possible for putin to invade ukraine. is that strength of relationship still there, or is it fading? i think if you just look at the official media, the strength is very much there. but deep down, i think even scholars, pro—government scholars, the government scholars are privately airing a lot

more caution and saying, "0k, we really have to think of our own interest and to put things into long term perspective if we really, really decide to go down with putin along this way, this road, in five, ten years. do we want to face the same scenarios, being isolated totally from the world and from some of the actions?" from the un vote, china decided to, you know, instead of supporting russia, they abstained, and from other signs that apparently chinese state banks have not really opened up their coffer extended loans to russia as many expected yet. but china did lift the ban on importing russian wheat and energy. of course, china is buying lots of energy. so, those things will offer russia money. of course, china has a kind of sort of mirror version of that with taiwan, doesn't it?

i remember seeing something on weibo, the chinese equivalent of, i don't know, twitter or whatever, somebody writing now would be a good time to go into taiwan. do you think that's what the leaders believe? we did see a lot of what they call the wolf warrior youth, or some nationalists online, and even taunting taiwan, saying, you know, the ukrainians are demonstrating to you what's going to happen if you keep pushing for it. but now i think even the officials have come out on a couple of occasions saying, you know, please do not link the two. they're not the same issue. the taiwanese presumably would resist with something of the ferocity of the ukrainians, and the west would take the same sort of action against china that they're taking against russia. whatever happens now, the west's

action will serve notice to beijing. they will have to recalibrate their future actions on whether to take military action. even though, you know, taking military action in the taiwan straits, it's a lot more difficult than russia taking action in ukraine. but, taiwan, you do have a strait, you do have the water there, and taiwan is armed to the teeth with all the modern defenses. so, it's not as simple as the ukraine operation, of course. is it true to say that the chinese government doesn't like losers, and if it identifies putin as a loser, they'll move away from him? beijing and moscow see the west as an example of failure. but now, if putin's adventure in ukraine turns out to be a major failure, if not, you know, a complete disaster, i think it will eventually make

quite a few people think again. north korea, under its eccentric leader, kimjong—un, has also been a supporter of russia and has duly blamed the united states forforcing russia to invade ukraine. but even north korea has become a bit less strident now. a few days ago, it fired what south korea thought was a ballistic missile into the sea nearby, but north korea said it was just launching a communications satellite. what is the north korean approach now? the editor of the bbc korean service. we have seen missile launches and tests in the past. however, the timing of this and the frequency of this is very, very unusual. there are various reasons for this. one is to do with the us and joe biden's lack of appetite of engaging with north korea.

as we've seen, we have seen a flurry of excitement a few years ago when donald trump was in power and they even met a few times. however, joe biden has called kim jong—un a tyrant, and he has imposed his very first sanction in north korea this january. so, what north korea wants to do is to get attention from the us and create a sense of crisis so that north korea can resume the talks with the us. because things are going really badly. things are very bad. covid has not helped at all. north korea border has shut down very tightly and strictly in the last two years, and because the trade has been shut down, mainly with china, and due to the imposed sanctions, strict sanctions from the international world, the economy has been going down and down and down. so, this is essentially kim jong—un jumping up and down, shouting, saying, "take notice of me, i want to talk to you.

i'm going to make you talk to me." have i got that right? in a sense, yes. north korea is also showing a show of force here. yes, the economy is really bad. it's also showing to the world, despite those things that's going on locally, we still have these capabilities, and we are seeing various range, long range, short range. they are getting faster. some of them can evade detection, the radar detection. so, it is saying to the world that "we are improving and you've got to take notice of us." this also sends a very powerful message to their own people in north korea. it unifies people against the common enemies, normally, the south korea and the us. it also distracts people from the economic difficulties. what do you think about the relationship between kim jong—un and china? we have been seeing some very interesting, subtle changes in their relationship.

china still continues to be their biggest ally, economically and politically, and recently we have been seeing signs of north korea opening up their borders and opening up imports from china. however, in the last few years, there has been some rhetoric and nuances from china condemning north korea's continued missile launches. do you get the feeling that he's walking a tightrope? that everything could start collapsing in north korea and he would collapse with it? or do you think he's there, like his father, like his grandfather, into the long, distant future? when you see all these missiles being launched from north korea so frequently, it might seem as if it's a very rogue nation just throwing its toys out of the pram or throwing a tantrum. however, when you really look into that tone, what they say and what they don't say, you can really see a lot of calculations being put behind this.

what kim is doing here is that, yes, they are testing missiles, but actually they're turning back on that really super—duper ultra—aggressive message to the world. su min hwang, editor of the bbc�*s korean service. here in the centre of helsinki is the idiosyncratic monument to the winter war of 1939—a0, when the russians invaded finland full of confidence and got a bloody nose. sound familiar? the fighting ground on until peace talks came up with a solution. russia kept some finnish territory, but finland maintained its independence. might there be parallels with ukraine? it's certainly worth bearing in mind. thank you forjoining me for unspun world. until the next time, goodbye.

hello. 0ur weather is much quieter thanit hello. 0ur weather is much quieter than it was at the end of february. but still plenty of contrast across the uk to talk about. here is a view from one of our weather watcher is, in much picture from eastern and southern parts of england and southern parts of england and southern parts of england and southern parts of england underneath an area of cloud. damp, drizzly, breezy. contrast between the cloudy conditions here and sunshine elsewhere. the cloud gradually pushing a bit further west overnight and into tomorrow and beginning to decay. 0vernight will take more cloud across one of the midlands, into parts of wales, more of south—west england. so some updates of light rain and drizzle around. very have got the cloud, temperatures will be holding just

above freezing. elsewhere likely to get a frost, coders and rural parts of northern ireland and scotland. plenty of sunshine around. for wales and england, there will be some sunny spells, but for the summer half of england, in particular south wales, there will be still some areas of thick cloud initially, some patchy light rain and drizzle. but it does look like you buy today in the eastern side of england compared to today. the wind will be stronger and have more of a chilling effect. even where there is sunshine and temperatures could be a degree or so down compared to today. 0vernight and into monday, the cloud continues to break up across southern areas, more in the way of clear spells, more in the way of clear spells, more likely to see a touch of frost. the frost looking more widespread as mindy begins, they lose temperatures into rural scotland and northern england on monday morning. i breezy

a picture in the west. some areas of cloud resting from south to north. most places are looking dry, still feeling quite chilly, particularly in the breeze. mid week onwards, a lot of uncertainty about the day today detail, but the overall pattern of our weather books at high pressure moves away, no pressure from the atlantic moves in. we are more likely to see some outlets of rain moving in, 8 when you're pictured in the west. also with that, things turning milder.

this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lukwesa burak. our top stories... russia resumes its offensive in mariupol after a so—called ceasefire end. 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