from russian bombardment. it is a really terrible situation because when everything started, our house was like, i don't know how to tell it, it's... today people queued for hours to flee to the west, but russia's proposed escape routes would take people to russia itself and to its ally belarus. the ukrainian president calls this "immoral". and we'll also be looking at developments here in the uk, with the latest on visa applications, and the effects of the conflict on energy prices. borisjohnson holds talks with the prime ministers of canada and the netherlands, and says an immediate ban on importing russian oil and gas would not be a wise move. what we also need to do is go for more nuclear and much more use of renewable energy. and i'm going to be setting out an energy strategy,

an energy supply strategy, for the country in the days ahead. and, with more ukrainian refugees waiting at calais and thousands applying for uk visas, the government's approach is being widely criticised. and stay with us on bbc news for continuing coverage and analysis with our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. good evening from lviv in western ukraine, on day 12 of the war here. ukraine has roundly rejected moscow's idea that ukrainian civilians fleeing russian attacks should use humanitarian corridors

to seek refuge in either russia or in its ally belarus. the government in kyiv said the proposal was "completely immoral" and that people should be allowed to escape to territory held by the ukrainian military. two attempts to evacuate civilians over the weekend ended in failure, with russia and ukraine accusing each other of violating a humanitarian ceasefire. ukraine authorities say rocket attacks have continued on residential areas in several cities. a third round of talks between russian and ukrainian negotiators today failed to make any real progress. this map shows the areas — here in red — where the russians are now said to be in control. the port of mariupol, where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped, is especially important as it ensures ukraine's access to the black sea. the ministry of defence says the 40—mile long convoy of russian military vehicles remains close

to the capital, kyiv, but has made little progress in recent days. but fighting continues in places like irpin, 16 miles from the city boundary. orla guerin has this report from the town which is under heavy bombardment and crucial to the russian advance. the only way out, and he stumbles, hands shaking, but he summons his courage and carries on. the desperate exodus from irpin today across the wreckage of a bridge blown up by ukraine to slow the russian advance. how scared do you have to be to take your child and flee like this? and here, a woman lies conscious but immobile. she fell, and there is no stretcher to move her.

well, this is a difficultjourney every step of the way, especially for older people, trying to pick their way out across rubble and concrete, having to balance on bits of wood. ukrainian troops are trying to help them make their way forward. some are coming with their children. most are coming with a few small things they can carry. they've been under bombardment in irpin for days and they are not safe now. even as they try to leave, the shelling has been continuing. explosion. for many civilians in the town, that shelling hit home, like anastasia, whose son, oleg, is just five months old. "the day before yesterday, a shell hit our house," she tells me.

"we spent two days at my grandmother's. now we are leaving because it's too dangerous to be in any corner of irpin with the child." suddenly, this. gunfire. some ukrainian forces running for cover. others getting civilians out of the line of fire. kyiv is just half an hour away. if ukraine loses this town, and it's already lost some of it, the russians will be on the road to the capital. andrei, like many here, is begging for a no—fly zone. tell everybody to close the sky urgently. all people need it in ukraine, really. many people stay in irpin for now, they cannot go outside, some old people, some young people,

they try to do their best there. but we see the russian soldiers, they don't fight with the army, they fight with anyone, so tell them please to close the sky. for now, all many can do is cram into minivans bound for the railway station in the capital. generations of ukrainians at the mercy of an increasingly brutal russian advance. and in the city, outside the registry office... air raid siren. ..the new soundtrack of kyiv. not what kate and artur had hoped for on their special day. the war has tightened their bond but upended their lives. firstly, it was very scary when it started, but me and...

my family and me, we are all christians, we pray to god and we believe that he cares about us and protects us. and you are getting married today, which is a very hopeful thing to do. yeah. what kind of future do you see for you both? i see that ukraine will win and we will help to restore the country and make everything possible to make it... air raid siren. there were no guests at the ceremony. it was too dangerous for loved ones to join them. the newlyweds say they will have a party when ukraine is victorious. orla guerin, bbc news, kyiv. let's take a closer look now at that proposal by russia — dismissed by ukraine — for a number of safe escape routes from key cities. four of the six

suggested safe corridors go to the east — to russia — or to belarus, its key ally, to the north. the other two routes take those fleeing further into ukraine. president zelensky has condemned the proposals as "completely immoral". and as our correspondent sarah rainsford found, people in the cities of dnipro and kharkiv are planning their own journeys to safety. kharkiv is burning again. a russian speaking city, bombed by russian planes, battered by russian shells, in a war vladimir putin says is to protect russian speakers. but his troops are destroying their homes and their lives. the woman who filmed this footage told us ukraine is being punished for its free will and its democracy. valentyna sent her sister

and mother to safety today. she told me she wants one thing now, for nato to stop russian planes flying over ukraine. "we see them," she said, "and it's terrible". we found families from kharkiv here in dnipro today, trying to flee even further. but it feels like half this city is now leaving, too, lining up for evacuation trains as soon as the curfew lifts. shelling, bombing and really loud in kharkiv and it was a really terrible situation because when everything started, our house was, like... i don't know how to tell it, like... every time. her mum is staying put, though it is breaking her. ukrainians are still fiercely loyal to their cause but realistic about the danger now. we have spoken to people in this queue who have been standing here for six hours in the cold

and the snow, hoping to get a train out of here to the west and to relative safety. but it is only the women and children who are being allowed through. the men are being pulled out of the crowd and told they have to stay. families who have no idea when or whether they will be united again. paulina had to hug her dad goodbye at the border. we first spoke to her in kharkiv, but the little girl has now made it to poland and can get the cancer medicine she needs. paulina... so today, her mum was able to smile. "the only thing is, she sometimes asks where her daddy is," she tells me. "and i don't know what to say to her." but for the first time in two weeks, paulina is playing again. sarah rainsford, bbc news, dnipro.

well today, the mayor of this city, lviv, said they are at the limit of their capacity for helping people who have fled the violence. and since the invasion beganjust under two weeks ago, more than 1.7 million people — most of them women and children — have fled the country, according to the united nations. they are crossing the borders to neighbouring countries to the west, such as poland, romania, slovakia, hungary and moldova. it is the fastest—growing refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. our correspondent lucy williamson is in moldova, on the border with ukraine. these are women who have stayed in ukraine through more than ten days of war. they have now decided to leave. it is a long walk from ukraine's last bus stop to this border. better to use any vehicle you can. by the time they are here, this conflict has often

darkened their cities and their faces. some had powerful reasons for staying as long as they could. olga's mother nadia suffered a series of strokes last year. olga went back to ukraine in october to look after her. when the war began, she faced a dilemma. "being there was terrifying", she said. "we live on the eighth floor. there were sirens day and night. what else could i feel but fear? i couldn't leave her there. i am all she has." for some, this is not a one—wayjourney. aid workers say women are dropping off their children here before turning around and going straight back to ukraine. i will never forget the woman who told me she is working in the orphanage and she has like 50 children and she cannot leave them there, or the woman who is working at an electric station and also the electric station is responsible for the whole city, and she has also said,

people are running so there will be nobody to maintain the basic needs of the human beings who are staying there. moldova is slowly getting organised to handle this influx. poland has received a far greater number of refugees, but moldova is a much smaller country, without poland's resources or infrastructure. the number of refugees who have arrived here so far is equivalent to 10% of moldova's population, though fewer than half end up staying. refugees arrived here last week in porsches and suvs. now the conflict is forcing the poor, the disabled, the most vulnerable to leave, those for whom the risks and uncertainty of conflict have only now eclipsed the risks and uncertainty of becoming a refugee. lucy williamson, bbc news, moldova. so, as we've been seeing,

for the third day in a row, ukrainian officials say russian shelling has prevented civilians being evacuated from several cities across the country. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in the capital, kyiv. there has been more activity there this evening. what's the latest, lyse? the night is quiet now, but these are very unpredictable times. a few hours ago, around six o'clock gmt the city was rocked by very loud explosions, no closer than we have seen over recent days, they are usually 10—12 miles away but it sounded like the russians were using much heavier ordinance. you can see the ukrainian surface to air missiles streaking across the sky. it suggests russia is intensifying its pressure on the capital, and even as the shelling continues to the north—west of the city, russia is in control of some of those towns on the approach is here to kyiv, and

as we have seen they have intensified the attacks on irpin where so many refugees are trying to flee, raising questions about whether a safe corridor can be established as a way to get people out of this area to greater safety. lyse doucet reporting from kyiv. opposition to the war continues to be silenced in russia, as thousands have been detained for protesting against the invasion. meanwhile, world leaders continue to meet to try and find a way through the crisis, with us secretary of state antony blinken visiting eastern european nations today. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley has the latest. they flew in from their battle—ravaged nation, the ukrainian delegation arriving on the border with belarus for a third round of talks with the enemy, with more meetings planned, but there is almost no faith in the sincerity of russia's side.

the russian defence ministry today released these images, said to be of tanks around ukraine's capital, kyiv. it is the military hardware, the guns and the bombs, that are doing the talking, and the kremlin has repeatedly made clear it will be satisfied by nothing short of ukraine's surrender. he chants. "no to war," this russian man shouts before he's carted away. independent monitors say 5,000 people were taken into custody over the weekend at protests in dozens of russian cities at a war that you're not even allowed to name. russia is now stepping up its repression, silencing all opposition, virtually all independent media in the country has ceased to function. and a new symbol has emerged to signify support for president putin's war. the letter z first appeared on tanks and military vehicles, but it's now also on bus stops and businesses and elsewhere. look carefully and you'll see it

even on this gymnast�*s chest as he took bronze at a world cup event in qatar. it was ukraine who took gold. the quick victory moscow had hoped for in ukraine has failed to materialise. russian forces have actually taken very little territory over the past week and instead have resorted to bombing and shelling, causing ever more civilian suffering. translation: what's the difference between the peaceful residents - of kharkiv or mykolaiv, and hamburg or vienna? we are waiting for a decision. either you clear the skies by the force you have, or give us military aircraft or anti—aircraft defences, which would give us the necessary force. this is the help which the world should provide not simply to ukraine, but to themselves, in order to prove that humanity will prevail. western allies continue to meet day in, day out on what more they can do to support ukraine, what more pressure they can put on president putin,

but there's very little hope at the moment of getting russia around a table for meaningful talks that would actually stop the war. caroline hawley, bbc news. we'll have more from here in lviv a little later in the programme, but for now it's back to huw in the studio. thanks, reeta. tomorrow will mark a new departure for the house of commons, when mps will be able to watch a live video link of an address by president zelensky of ukraine. screens are being installed in the chamber overnight, and more than 500 headsets will be provided. the president is expected to call for more arms to help defend his country, and to renew demands for a no—fly zone over ukraine. earliertoday, boris johnson met the dutch and canadian prime ministers, and spoke to leaders in france, germany and the us, all of whom agreed that the goal was to isolate president putin and to ensure russia's failure. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. lining up allies has not been the hard part.

the chaos in ukraine, a contrast to the neat ranks of uk air men and women. thanks for looking after us. "thank you for looking after us," he says. the prime minister, the dutch and the canadian leader trying together to look after ukraine. our three countries stand shoulder to shoulder against russia's barbaric invasion. we are standing up for democracy, against authoritarianism, and standing with ukraine. as war and violence once again cast a dark shadow over europe, - we are working together. there was a promise of extra cash, more coordination of humanitarian help, but what about bolder, bigger pressure? cutting off russian oil and gas? you can't simply close down use of oil and gas overnight, even from russia. that's obviously not something that every country around the world can do. i'm going to be setting out an energy supply strategy

for the country in the days ahead. what vladimir putin has broken here is a trust where i've heard a number of europeans reflect on, it's too bad we are so dependent on russian oil but we're not going to make that mistake again and they are moving away from it. easier to say than do, and the dilemma is displayed by these three countries. canadians have banned russian oil, but they have their own huge supply. the uk doesn't rely on it either. but the dutch, like other mainland european countries, really do. we have to ramp up, speed up the process of greening our economy, decarbonising our economy, but that will not happen overnight. i would really urge all of us to take this step—by—step. why can you say to our viewers that the west was so slow to see what vladimir putin was really capable of? was it wishful thinking, or naivety? some people in eastern europe feel that western europe has been naive. there has been all of that. we all thought that we could somehow contain this. that proved impossible.

and after calls for more drastic action against those who have sought luxury lifestyles in london, parliament is trying this week to make it harder for russians to stash cash here, and easier to punish those with links to the kremlin, after accusations the government isn't tough enough. if the government allows people six months to register their property, anybody who thinks they're going to be subject to sanction will sell their property, and that's why we've been pushing the government. borisjohnson is making a big diplomatic push this week. it's about sticking together, the west showing solidarity and squeezing russia. but neither of them can promise today that any of the solutions that could end ukraine's suffering are straightforward. tomorrow, parliament will hear direct, if digitally, from the ukrainian president zelensky. his plea — for much more help. the prime minister's mantra — putin must fail. both easier to say tonight than to guarantee.

laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. as we said, households and business are being warned to prepare themselves for even higher energy bills in future because of the disruption to the energy market. on the international markets, the prices of oil and gas have taken off again, with oil hitting iii—year high, and wholesale gas prices doubling in the space of three days. food prices are also set to rise, with one industry boss warning of a globalfood crisis. our economics editor faisal islam has more details. ukrainian farmers are seeing a very different type of harvest during this invasion. social media images of tractors towing abandoned russian military hardware in the fields where seeds should be being sown in one of the bread baskets of the world. today, half of the world's population is fed using food grown with mineral fertiliser. one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies said a global food crisis is starting.

not whether we are moving towards a global food crisis, it's how large the food crisis will be. for other parts of the world, the most vulnerable, it's a matter of getting access to food at all is a matter of life and death. as wheat exports from ukraine and russia dry up, the un said overall food prices, even when adjusted for inflation, have only risen faster in one year, 197a. there is a similar picture for gas prices. markets surged to about £6 per therm, treble what they were pre—crisis, 12 times the normal price. if in the first half of this year, prices averaged just over £3 a therm, then average household energy bills in october could top £250 per month. the incredible rises in gas prices already represents an energy price shock for households, in particular, businesses and those using heating oil that face this immediately. it is, though, crude oil that could be the most potent economic

weapon against the kremlin, because it gets three times as much income from oil than from gas. but an embargo on russian oil risks a �*70s—style energy crisis, and it's long been mr putin's calculation that western governments and western populations won't want to pay a price so high. even a conversation about sanctions on russia's oil saw the price of a barrel of crude oil leap to a iii—year high this morning before settling still up on the day. even before this, pump petrol prices are now on average £1.55 a litre and heading higher. russia's economy is already taking a hit. we see the rouble going through the floor. we see russia's credit rating coming basically to zero, to junk status. the rouble, at new record lows, has now halved in value, but across europe, it's not yet the time to choke off

the flows of dollars and euros to russia, and oil from it. faisal islam, bbc news. the uk's policy on accepting ukrainian refugees has been widely criticised in recent days, with complaints that the british system is far less generous than others. the home office confirmed tonight that 300 visas have been issued so far under a new scheme. but more than 8,000 applications have been submitted. refugees waiting at calais say there is confusion over the process, and our home editor mark easton has been speaking to some of them. the faces at this calais hostel bear the trauma of a nightmare flight from war, a journey still without a destination. there are more than 500 ukrainian refugees in this city trying to sort visas to the uk. misha, a british citizen with his ukrainian wife and children, was turned back at the border five days ago.

ifeel like i've been gutted. who else is going to help me if not my own government? i'm paying taxes, i've been living there for nearly 30 years now, i've never asked for any kind of help from the government before. i've never been on benefits. the one thing i asked, and i've be left out. and i've been left out. misha's17—year—old daughter, gabrielle, could barely speak about her experience. i don't want to... it's so hard for everybody. she's been crying all these days and she's just stopped now. we followed misha as he tried to navigate the bureaucracy. first he came here, an administrative building where refugees were told they might get advice. speaking at the weekend, the home secretary said she had surged a team of home office officials here to calais and it was inaccurate to say there was no proper support on the ground. but this is the place, no sign of a surge, just a telephone number. misha rang the number. i'm trying to find where i can you, where i can see someone. i'm trying to find where i can see you, where i can see someone. and he was eventually told there were refugee support personnel in calais, in an empty port building.

was this the promised home office help? they didn't want us to film what's going on, but this, it appears, is the british "surge" — three officials, a box of ready salted crisps and some kitkats. only a handful of refugees have managed to find and reach this desk. clearly this crisis is evolving the whole time, and i've said before the uk will be as generous as we possibly can be. you can't find out how to get a visa? at the moment, i don't know. this afternoon, the home office confirmed what many refugees feared, there is no visa centre in calais. misha and his family must stay in france at least another week and get their visa not here but in paris. to the ukrainian refugees in northern france, there appears to be a gap as wide as the english channel between the supportive rhetoric of ministers in london and the reality on the ground. mark easton, bbc news, calais. the latest on the pandemic — and more than 6 million people have now died around the world after testing positive

for covid—19, according to the latest research in the us. and here in the uk, a new study has found that even mild cases of covid can cause long—term changes to the brain, as our science editor rebecca morelle explains. we are starting to see the precise impacts of covid on the brain, as uk biobank undertakes the world's biggest scanning project. the task is about to start... scientists have compared brain scans recorded before the pandemic with images taken after a covid—19 infection. the scans reveal changes in the brain of the participants who'd had covid. almost all of them, 96%, had had a mild case. the researchers found that on average the overall size of the brain had shrunk by up to 2%. there was a loss of grey matter in the parts of the brain related to the sense of smell and memory. and those who had been infected found it harder to perform complex mental tasks. the scientists have been trying

to assess what the changes mean. the infected participants also had more difficulties, greater difficulties in performing complex tasks, compared with those who did not get infected. and we can relate that to how much of their brain had shrunk. so, yes, it does have real life consequences. what's not yet clear what's not yet clear is whether the changes are permanent is whether the changes are permanent or if they can be reversed. or if they can be reversed. it can get scary to hear about it can get scary to hear about the fact that your brain has shrunk. the fact that your brain has shrunk. but we need to bear in mind but we need to bear in mind that the brain is really plastic. that the brain is really plastic. by that, we mean it can heal itself. by that, we mean it can heal itself. the study could also help the study could also help researchers to better researchers to better understand long covid. and other areas of the brain understand long covid. it didn't look at the condition it didn't look at the condition specifically but the hope specifically but the hope is the findings could is the findings could provide new clues. provide new clues. i think it's a good starting point, i think it's a good starting point, and that opens up all sorts and that opens up all sorts of questions that other researchers of questions that other researchers can follow up in long covid clinics can follow up in long covid clinics and so on about the effect and so on about the effect of coronavirus infection of coronavirus infection

on cognitive function, brain fog, on cognitive function, brain fog, and other areas of the brain and to really focus research on how best to mitigate that. this study is just the start. it looked at earlier variants of covid. it's unclear whether omicron would cause the same changes. the hope is further scans will help us to understand