this is bbc news — welcome, if you're watching here in the uk, or around the globe. i'm david eades. our top stories... harrowing scenes in ukraine — as russian forces step up their bombing of civilian areas. in irpin — residents flee under relentless bombardment. there is a fair amount of incoming fire coming into this area, artillery fire, there are loads of civilians around. the international atomic energy agency expresses fears for ukrainian nuclear plants now under russian control as the authorities appear unable to speak to their staff. ukraine's young cancer patients — evacuated to poland —

fighting a battle for survival on two fronts. and asia stock markets fall, but the price of oil continues to rise, as the war enters its twelfth day. the humanitarian crisis for the ukrainian people is deepening, with tens of thousands of civilians trapped in cities under near—constant russian shellfire and lacking food and other most basic needs. in kyiv, the ukrainian army has been reinforcing its defences, as the russian military continues its attacks to the north of the capital. the towns of bucha, hostomel and irpin have been under heavy bombardment. and some people trying to flee the fighting have been killed

by russian mortar fire. our senior international correspondentjeremy bowen spent sunday in nearby irpin and i must warn you — there are some distressing details and images in his report. distant explosions. russian shelling might break ukraine's will to fight — but not yet. davay, davay. they had to keep moving. until the last minute, these families had hung on. leaving your home, even in a war, is a giant step. they're heading towards the capital, still almost untouched, but only about ten miles away. she was as dignified as a woman striding to the park. in fact, like all of ukraine and russia, they are struggling into a dark future. ukrainian troops were moving back into irpin, and this is why its people left. shell zips past.

journalists try to help the casualties. a family, mother, father and two children were killed by another shell. this was inside the town, russia's target as its tries to revive its offensive. the civilians are getting out over what's left of a bridge that was blown to slow down the russians if they take irpin. civilians are supposed to be protected by the laws of war. russian shells were very close. shouting, explosions. stopping was not an option. "i'm 0k," she said. "keep going." a disabled man couldn't make it up the steep river bank on his own. there's a fair amount of incoming fire coming

into this now — artillery fire. there are loads of civilians around. families coming out. there's a lady over there with her dog following on. this is the edge of the town that the russians have got to. explosions, shouting. civilians were in the firing line, but the russians might have been trying to knock out nearby active ukrainian artillery. casualties and evacuees were taken to an assembly point in a suburb about a mile away. they were still in range of russian guns, but, for now, relatively safe. vladimir, 85, a 30—year veteran of the soviet army got his family out. "i served for many years," he said. "right now, i'd tear those fascists into pieces. "they're killing people for no reason. "that's what's really painful." on the way out, families

grabbed their most precious things — puppies, pets, some comfort. tell me what it was like crossing the bridge and getting out of the town? oh, it was a miserable feeling. we are nervous. i was terrified. it was, it was the horrible, horrible way. they moved on into the capital. this was a terrible day, but the russian military is operating on half power. if it can build up full momentum, there will be many days worse than this. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv. for the second day in a row, an attempt to evacuate 400,000 residents from the besieged city of mariupol in south—eastern ukraine has failed. a planned ceasefire broke down with both sides blaming each other. 0ur correspondent sarah

rainsford is in the city of dnipro, where officials had been preparing to welcome those fleeing from mariupol. when night falls, they keep the lights off here, in the hope that'll hide them from the russian bombs. families who fled the fighting in kharkiv to a nearby town, still too close to feel safe. this is me and my friends in the metro. 15—year—old nika has left behind her city, her friends and the father she loves, and she's struggling. oh, thank god i'm alive. i can't sleep normally — i am sleeping two or three hours every day because i heard bangs and i'm afraid. i start shaking because i think they're here and it's very bad. it's not only kharkiv that is under attack. in volnovakha, to the south—east, whole streets are in ruins. the fighting was meant to stop today to give civilians chance to get out.

but a local mp told me russian forces had broken the ceasefire for a second day. russia said it would provide a safe corridor, this man said, but they were firing along the route. gunfire. and there was no let—up at all in mariupol. imagine living under this, with no power and little water now, orfood. so the buses that were sent to rescue thousands stood empty. translation: in the first days of the war, we counted - dozens of dead. now it's hundreds, and it'll soon be thousands. but they don't even give us a chance to count, because the shelling hasn't stopped for six days. people were supposed to be bused here, three hours north, to zaporizhzhia, still firmly

under ukrainian control. there is no shelling here yet, but it's too quiet, almost deserted. we spotted armed police, doing spot checks. then, one patrol yelled at us to pull over. three armed officers pointed their guns at us, made us open the car doors, wanted to check who we were. they asked us to put our hands in the air. once they saw we were journalists, they were fine, but it is getting really nervy here. the fear comes before the fighting, but both are now spreading here every day. sarah rainsford, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. the head of the un's nuclear watchdog says he's extremely concerned about reported communication difficulties between the ukrainian regulator and nuclear sites under russian control. rafael grossi said the ukrainian authorities were having trouble contacting

staff at the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant the biggest in the country. a relative of someone working inside the chernobyl has spoken to the bbc. that facility was taken by russian forces over a week ago. we've called her valerie, which is not her real name to protect her identity. she described the situation. the conditions are kind of concerning right now. once a day, they can't sleep normally, because first of all they have to work basically 24—7, because they have to keep maintaining the plant working properly. almost all their moves are controlled. i mean, they are not interrupted if they are working, but they can't move freely, theyjust always have to be convoyed by the russian army. joseph cirincione is a nuclear

policy expert at the quincy institute for responsible statecraft in washington. iasked him how worried we should be. we should be very worried. look, — we should be very worried. look, operating a nuclear power plant _ look, operating a nuclear power plant under the best of circumstances, is a tricky business _ circumstances, is a tricky business. these guys aren't homer_ business. these guys aren't homer simpson, they are trained engineers, — homer simpson, they are trained engineers, technicians, they take — engineers, technicians, they take it — engineers, technicians, they take it very seriously. it's a delicate _ take it very seriously. it's a delicate situation. the technicians at chernobyl or three — technicians at chernobyl or three mile island didn't intend to cause — three mile island didn't intend to cause a nuclear catastrophe, something went wrong. and here you have — something went wrong. and here you have these operators operating at gunpoint under the command of a russian military officer. — command of a russian military officer, who knows nothing about — officer, who knows nothing about nuclear power plants, they— about nuclear power plants, they haven't been able to communicate with their families, haven't had a shift change _ families, haven't had a shift change since thursday, operating under duress. it is a recipe — operating under duress. it is a recipe for— operating under duress. it is a recipe for disaster.— recipe for disaster. yes, i think that — recipe for disaster. yes, i think that point _ recipe for disaster. yes, i think that point about - think that point about exhaustion must be highly pertinent for those that are there, and no one else seems to be able to come in and cover them in that sense. how does it work in that regard? can you

just mothball a nuclear plant for a week, a fortnight? how does that work?— for a week, a fortnight? how does that work? well, you can't shut them _ does that work? well, you can't shut them down, _ does that work? well, you can't shut them down, and _ does that work? well, you can't shut them down, and we - shut them down, and we understand that several of the reactors — understand that several of the reactors at the site are shut down — reactors at the site are shut down -- _ reactors at the site are shut down —— you can shut them down. however— down —— you can shut them down. however that has consequences. number— however that has consequences. number one, you are now cutting off eiectric — number one, you are now cutting off electric supply for ukraine, which is dangerous in itself, — ukraine, which is dangerous in itself, and _ ukraine, which is dangerous in itself, and secondly, even when you shut — itself, and secondly, even when you shut it — itself, and secondly, even when you shut it down, to still those _ you shut it down, to still those fuel rods don't shut off like a — those fuel rods don't shut off like a light bulb, they stay hot for— like a light bulb, they stay hot for months, you have to keep— hot for months, you have to keep them cool in the reactor or irr— keep them cool in the reactor or in the _ keep them cool in the reactor or in the fuel ponds also on the — or in the fuel ponds also on the site. _ or in the fuel ponds also on the site, unprotected, no containment, no protection whatsoever. if that coolant system _ whatsoever. if that coolant system breaks down, if you stop pumping — system breaks down, if you stop pumping the water in, if an artillery— pumping the water in, if an artillery shell hits one of the spent — artillery shell hits one of the spent fuel ponds, then you are looking — spent fuel ponds, then you are looking at— spent fuel ponds, then you are looking at those reactor rods quickly — looking at those reactor rods quickly superheating and melting down. that is how you tet melting down. that is how you get a _ melting down. that is how you get a melt down, that's how you tet get a melt down, that's how you get a _ get a melt down, that's how you get a major release of

radioactive gases in the ground, _ radioactive gases in the ground, in the water supply and inthe— ground, in the water supply and in the air — ground, in the water supply and in the air. �* , ground, in the water supply and in the air-— in the air. let's look at some ofthe in the air. let's look at some of the other _ in the air. let's look at some of the other impacts - in the air. let's look at some of the other impacts of - in the air. let's look at some of the other impacts of this | of the other impacts of this episode. the price of oil has again risen sharply following suggestions that russian oil exports could be banned by the united states and the european union. shares in east asia tumbled on the first day of trading of the new week. let's speak to our business reporter monica miller in singapore. monaco, run us through the figures, because they are not good, are they?— figures, because they are not good, are they? no, what we saw this morning _ good, are they? no, what we saw this morning is _ good, are they? no, what we saw this morning is that _ good, are they? no, what we saw this morning is that oil— good, are they? no, what we saw this morning is that oil had - this morning is that oil had surged 10% across asia. it has gone down a bit since early morning trading began, what we saw was $130 per barrel. also as you had mentioned, we are seeing stocks plunged today. just take a look at the hang seng, down most it% now back up to around three and a half. also the nicki plunged about more than 3%. that is a fresh 15 month low that we have been saying around here. also we are looking at some of the futures.

the dow was down about 400 points command if you want to really take a look at what is going on globally, you can take a look at the volatility index. that is down about 5%. investors are not feeling good today. investors are not feeling good toda . ., investors are not feeling good toda. ., ., ~ today. no, monica, do you think the are today. no, monica, do you think they are factoring _ today. no, monica, do you think they are factoring in _ today. no, monica, do you think they are factoring in the - they are factoring in the possibility of these sanctions on russian oil? i mean, 7% of global oil output coming from russia. 0rshould global oil output coming from russia. or should we prepare for worst still to come? we have been _ for worst still to come? - have been speaking to analysts today who have said yes, we definitely should be preparing for what is to come. we spoke to one analyst who said if we start seeing crude prices skyrocket, even if we can anticipate seeing them up $150 per barrel or even north of that, if that happens, the global markets are just going to go into an absolute tailspin. 0ne to go into an absolute tailspin. one person was saying this devastating effect is going to have an impact on

markets abroad. even though parts of asia, like southeast asia here, we get most of our oilfrom china and other places, but it is going to have a knock—on effect of this continues to happen. russia looks intent on destroying ukraine as one of these analysts were saying, the us are in a position where if they don't have the oil, they can take it on their own, but europe really relies on this russian oil, and that is just going to push the entire markets. it is going to get worse before it gets better. yes, these are major strategic decisions to be taken as well as tactical, aren't they? thank you very much indeed, that is the latest coming out of singapore. stay with us. get me to the checkpoint on time — why armed conflict didn't stop this couple from tying the knot.

the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 24 hours, then, the soviet union lost an elderly, sick leader, and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. _ then he came out| through a fire exit and started firing shots. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an eight—car convoy. reporter: paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? - it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really — _ i've never been married before.

this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: the humanitarian crisis in ukraine is deepening, with tens of thousands of civilians trapped in cities under near constant russian shellfire, living a hand—to—mouth existence, or going hungry. the international atomic energy agency says it's concerned about reports ukrainian authorities are having trouble contacting staff at nuclear plants now under russian control. more than 1.5 million people have now left ukraine since the conflict began, according to the united nations. they've described it as the fastest—growing refugee crisis since the second world war. some of those fleeing have acute needs — with cancer patients having to leave their hospitals, with treatment interrupted, as they seek safety elsewhere in europe. 0ur correspondent mark lowen has been hearing some

of their stories in poland. they, too, are the fighters of a debilitating disease made deadlier by the war they've fled. ukraine's young cancer patients evacuated to poland, victims of a battle on two fronts. taken to a hotel to be examined, the most urgent to be sent to hospitals here and across europe. "our hearts are tearing from pain," says this lady. "my son always says he's fine, but we need to continue his treatment." the trauma whole families torn from their homes at the most difficult time. 0livia was born a day before rushes in beijing. 0livia was born a day before russia's invasion. alexi has a brain tumour and is weak from the journey.

he had three operations and then he had therapy. but he didn't complete therapy because the war started. the next morning, they wait for triage. the days to get here perilous for some. well, this isjust a desperately sad situation. children who are safe from the war but now plunged back into danger with their illness. rushing to resume treatment that's been broken off. this is a conflict that is killing, uprooting and now threatening the most vulnerable. the one doctor is overwhelmed. she checks 12—year—old andrei, whose soft tissue cancer has spread to his lungs. this is a very serious situation. are there patients who you think could die from having to have everything interrupted like this? yes, just.

most of these kids are in a life—threatening situation and any kind of delay of their treatment is very bad for them. this, of all places, is little andrei's first ever trip abroad. "i miss my home and my grandma and grandpa" he says. "at least here we don't have to run into shelters, "because that was scary and hard." as volunteers from germany take the first children to a hospital there, more arrive. the cruelty of one man's war now forcing them to battle. mark lowen, bbc news, central poland. the harsh clamp—down on any form of opposition to the war in russia is gathering pace. more than 4,000 people have

been arrested for taking pa rt in protests. the us secretary of state antony blinken said the ruthless approach of the authorities in moscow applies in even greater measure to the actions of the russian forces. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale has the latest. russians on the streets of moscow today to find police russians on the streets of moscow today defying police to demonstrate against the war in ukraine. just one of the many protests across the country. the authorities said 3,500 people were arrested. independent groups said it was more then for thousand. independent groups said it was more than 4,000. this is part of what's prompting their anger, the apparently indiscriminate attacks on civilians that america's top diplomat now says could constitute a war crime. antony blinken arrived in lithuania tonight on the latest stage of a european tour as he and allies

consider more support for ukraine and... additional sanctions all of which are very actively under discussion it will be implemented in the coming days. as well as taking further steps to give the ukrainians what they need to defend themselves against the russian aggression. what ukraine wants are us jets like these keeping their skies safe from russian attacks. nato has ruled out a no—fly zone but poland might give some warplanes to ukraine and get some usjets in return. in the coming days, borisjohnson will meet other world leaders here at downing street from canada, the netherlands and eastern europe. the challenge will be how to increase support from ukraine, tackled the humanitarian crisis and maintain pressure on russia. all without escalating the conflict. the prime minister's deputies said the west had to be in this for the long haul. i think the right strategy for us is to keep putting the squeeze on those bank rolling prudence war machine and keep stealing the capacities where there is the will of

the ukrainian people. i think that's right course of action. but if anyone thinks this will be resolved in days will is deluding themselves. is deluding themselves. it will take months. as western sanctions begin to take a bite in russia visa, mastercard and american express that they were suspended operations there. the us may also target russian oil sales. but ukraine wants more. translation: it's immoral, it's not in europe security . interests of new painful sanctions against russia and not applied in the coming days. are not applied in the coming days. as for president putin, this weekend he found time to meet russian flight attendants and make a few calls. he told the turkey president it was going to plan. he told the president of france he will achieve his goals through negotiation or war. well you heard james mention there that american express has joined visa and mastercard in shutting down its operations in russia and belarus. netflix has also stopped

its service in russia, and tiktok has suspended all new video uploads and livestreams there. the video—sharing app said in a statement it had no other choice, after russia introduced its new fake news law, that's aimed at limiting information about its invasion of ukraine. well — as we've just seen — the russian invasion of ukraine is causing misery and chaos for millions of people. and yet, in the midst of all this, two people on the front line have decided they will not let a war get in the way of their own plans for life, as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. meet lesya and valeri — bride and groom, defenders of ukraine. no dress, no tuxedo but still, there were flowers, a veil, and confetti. singing the ceremony taking place at a checkpoint in kyiv. they've been together for 20

years and never saw any reason to tie the knot, but a military invasion does tend to focus the mind. translation: we decided to get married because we live - in challenging times and you never know what's going to happen to you tomorrow. translation: we must live in the moment. - many people talk about it, but just a few people live according to this rule. to remain sane, we need to live in the moment. both are members of ukraine's territorial defence unit, and the service was carried out by a military chaplain. laughter there was champagne, a wedding breakfast, and even a cake. 0ne imagines, not much chance of a honeymoon, and an uncertain fate for them and their country. but, despite it all, a day they will never forget. the ukrainian tennis

player dayana yastremska has lost the final of the wta tournament in the french city of lyon. (00v) she was in 0desa when russia invaded and spent two nights sheltering in an underground car park before being able to get out of ukraine — yastremska said she was too emotionally drained to give her all in the final. a russian gymnast is under investigation because of what the international gymnastics federation called his shocking behaviour at the world cup in doha. after earning a bronze medal in the parallel bars final, ivan kuliak taped a letter �*z�* to his chest when he went to the podium to stand next to the winner, ukrainian illia kovtun. the letter �*z�* has become symbolic of russia's invasion of ukraine and has been seen painted on the sides of tanks and military vehicles. it's also being worn by pro—war politicians in russia. 0bviously obviously we are focusing very much on the situation in

ukraine. do go to the website as well — bbc.com—news — where we're bringing you the latest analysis and more from our correspondents. thanks for being with us. bye for now. hello, it's turning milder in the week ahead a little less cold in the far south, where we've got a bit of a breeze blowing through the morning. but there will be more sunshine compared to the weekend across many southern and eastern parts of england. elsewhere, a little bit of patchy cloud drifting

across wales, northern ireland, northern england, southern scotland, too, but it is looking dry. it's not going to feel particularly warm — still a bit of a breeze coming in an easterly direction — and temperatures at best on monday afternoon only between around about 7—9 degrees for most of us, so despite a lot of spring sunshine around, it isn't going to feel particularly warm for this time of year. but dry with light winds, a pleasant day ahead on monday. as we move through monday evening and overnight into tuesday, there will be a few areas of cloud drifting from south to north but still, some long, clear spells, so another cold night. probably temperatures not quite as low first thing tuesday as they are first thing monday morning but still, a widespread frost for tuesday morning. things are set to change a little bit through the day on tuesday because we've got a weather front approaching from the west, so high pressure easing off towards the east. that means the breeze is going to be picking up. we are going to see more cloud rolling in from the west and some rain for northern ireland and western parts of britain later in the day. eastern scotland, eastern england should stay dry with some sunshine all day and it'll turn a little bit less cold, so we're starting to see some of those temperatures back up into double figures on tuesday. looking ahead towards

the middle of the week, then, and things turn gradually more unsettled as a weather front starts to try and work in from the atlantic. high pressure still sitting off to the east, so they are only making slow progress eastwards across the uk, but what they're also going to bring is a change in wind direction, so into wednesday, you can see the yellow colours — this warmer air mass starting to move in with those southerly winds. so, yes, not as cold — temperatures on the rise — but also turning wet and windy on wednesday towards the west, so some fairly heavy, persistent rain for northern ireland pushing into western parts of britain. in the east, it should be largely dry but temperatures back into double figures. bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines —

president zelenskiy has angrily condemned russian military attacks that have targeted civilians. in a video statement, he said the murder of ukrainian civilians in the near—constant artillery and missile attacks by the russians would never be forgiven. the head of the un's nuclear watchdog says he's extremely concerned about reported communication difficulties between the ukrainian regulator and nuclear sites under russian control. rafael grossi said the ukrainian authorities were having trouble contacting staff at the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the biggest such facility in the country. the price of oil has again risen sharply, following suggestions that russian exports could be banned by the united states and the european union. shares in east asia have tumbled on the first day of trading this week. now on bbc news, hardtalk.

welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.