welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughanjones. our top stories: we witness life on the frontline for ukrainian forces — fighting to defend the country's second largest city kharkiv from russia's relentless assault. if these tactics are unfamiliar to you, then you have not been paying attention because this is the russian attack playbook, perfected over ten years of war in syria. the ukrainian army head into no man's land towards russian forces — they say their spirits are stronger than ever. we are fighting on our land and protect our families, so it doesn't matter how they fight. we fight like lions and they will not win.

new and they will not win. satellite images show the russian new satellite images show the russian military convoy heading towards kyiv have now dispersed with artillery deployed in firing positions. exodus from sumy as humanitarian corridors are set up to escape the fighting, we meet some of the tens of thousands who have now fled. and roman abramovich, the russian owner of chelsea football club, is among seven more oligarchs sanctioned by the british government — the sale of the club is now on hold. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we start tonight with an exclusive report from the city of kharkiv, in the east of ukraine. the country's second largest city — after the capital kyiv — has endured nightly russian air

attacks and suffered dozens of civilian deaths and hundreds of injuries. most of the city's one and a half million residents have fled. the ukrainian forces fought back a russian armoured column in the early days of the invasion — and have been fighting since to stop a further russian advance. our correspondent quentin sommerville and camera journalist darren conway are the firstjournalists to be embedded with the ukrainian army as they fight the russian advance. i should warn you their report contains graphic images from the frontline that some viewers will find disturbing. head to the very eastern edge of ukraine and a ghostly vision of the country's fate unfolds before you. the city of kharkiv is being purged of life. in near total blackout, the police in the country's second—largest city take us on patrol. the russians aren't far. explosion. shelling happens every night.

this close to the russian border, there's another threat here — saboteurs. no—one escapes scrutiny. alina, 76—years—old, is lost and confused. in an instant, everybody�*s life here has been up—ended. but this young nation has surprised russia and the world with its resolve. we weave our way past the fallen, into no man's land, with the ukrainian army. here is 21—year—old yevgen gromadsky. where are the russians?

over the sound of shelling, he tells me, "the russian soldiers are standing about 900 meters away from here. you can hear right now that they're firing on our positions and we are firing back". it's a grenade launcher, british. but it's more than just a grenade launcher — it's a guided missile. is it good against tanks? it's the best we have right now. how are the russians fighting? they're fighting like soldiers of i9ai. they're attacking, just like in front, now they don't do any assault. so, yeah, they have a lot of people here, a lot of tanks, a lot of their vehicles and techniques. but we're fighting in our land and we protect our families. so it doesn't matter how they fight, we fight like lions and they won't win. this city of a million plus people has emptied out. this civilian, so close to ukrainian lines, just didn't make it.

we've actually come beyond the ukrainian front line, and we know that because look at all the destruction around here, and this whole area's littered with dead russian bodies. these men, in fact, and there are two more over there. there are two more over. there are chechen, they have ids on them. their weapons have been removed. the ukrainians keep telling us they�* re really comfortable with this type of fight because this is their territory, they're defending their city, theirfamilies. but the challenge from them is what comes from the sky. they want more aircraft and they want more air defences. and that might be where this battle, this war, is won and lost. in a war with russia, the front line is everywhere. shouting, explosion. this is what people have been fleeing in kharkiv — endless bombardment

for the past two weeks. automated alert: our administration would like to inform you that a fire this is what russia does to cities, it bombards them, it besieges them, it surrounds them. it terrorizes entire populations. and if these tactics are unfamiliar to you, then you haven't been paying attention, because this is the russian attack play book, perfected in over ten years of war in syria. we know that russia bombs hospitals. so here at the city's hospital number four, they keep the wounded in hallways — away from the windows. miss valentina has been hit by shrapnel. "i have a poem for you", she says. translation: these stupid russian shrapnel pieces - i will carry all my life. but as long as my heart still beats, i will still live and love. and so too, will eight—year—old dmitri, now that this has been removed from his skull.

this is the war that russia has fought before and is fighting again. we don't know the rest of ukraine's fate, but kharkiv has already shown what's coming next. translation: defenders, we will ride together. - we will win this war and all our heroic people will gather to rebuild our beloved ukraine. quentin sommerville, bbc news, kharkiv, in eastern ukraine. in kyiv, russian forces continue their advance towards the capital. more than half the population of kyiv has fled since the invasion began. the mayor of the city descibed it as a fortress. humanitarian organisations have warned that many people have run out of food and are still living without water or gas. russian forces are said to have rolled their armoured vehicles up to the north—eastern edge of the city today. jeremy bowen has sent

this report from kyiv. when your world is turned upside down, there's separation, loss, confusion, and relief at getting out alive. hundreds more have been evacuated from villages in the firing line outside kyiv in the last few days. taking bad memories into new uncertain lives. did you see any russians? yes. what were the russians like, did they speak to you? they were mute, mute. they were mute. no comments, no words, no. and nothing. they were mute. they stayed like... ..stones. medics can help with the physical pain of wounds. kyiv�*s hospitals are ready, expecting many more. but what do you say to someone who needs the comfort of home?

when everything familiar has gone? this minibus was from the children's home, many with special needs, and carers who had spent two weeks in cellars trying to keep them calm. the police took videos to record who had escaped. then they checked their bags. the fear of russian infiltrators is strong. food is not in short supply, along with plenty of questions what about the russians will do next, and allegations about what they are doing now. the police commander said they had had many phone calls about violation of the rights of civilians and weapons, injuries and murders.

appeals for information about the missing. at another crossing point, hundreds more walking out of the firing line. and a priest who helped rescue them from the russian army. there is nothing which is related to god in the actions. so, there's no reason for them to attack ukraine. we are not attack anybody, so we just made decision to have different future, we want to have democracy, so if russians they want to restore soviet union, may god bless them, but we ask them to do it within their borders. ten miles east of kyiv, russia's tactical blunders continued. tanks are easy targets when they push forward, bunched up, in broad daylight, but the ukrainians are still outnumbered and outgunned. at strong points round the city, ukrainian troops are waiting. they know the russians are

regrouping, and will try again. petrol bombs aren't all they have got. nato has sent in thousands of modern anti—tank weapons for whatever is coming down the road. the russians are about 5km in that direction. if they want to come into the city, they will have to take this piece of ground and push in. if they are encircling kyiv, they can probably stay more or less where they are. the men at this position have to assume that an attack is coming. for the soldiers who waited, the sky was bright, and the forest still and lonely. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv. in the last couple of hours ukraine's president vlodomyr zelensky has been speaking — our news reporter, mark lobel has been keep in across that for us — talk us through what he said? he began by saying 100,000 people had then evacuated over

the last two days which is good news but then turned to the besieged city of mariupol in the south and said that not even essentials could get in because russian tanks were attacking humanitarian corridor there and he was furious about that. he described it as outright terror from experienced terrorists, that was how he put it. one ukrainian politician said hundreds may have died already in mariupol and another mp based in mariupol whose parents are also there said that russians are killing people for fun. he said something else, listen. there are 350,000 listen. there are350,000 350,000 people without any convoys of humanitarian aid, water, food, medicine, and bodies are laying on the streets. in mass graves already. and this is in a european city that was totally peaceful two weeks ago. stark words there. _ peaceful two weeks ago. stark words there. and _ peaceful two weeks ago. stark

words there. and we - peaceful two weeks ago. stark words there. and we have - peaceful two weeks ago. stark words there. and we have some new satellite images which are quite interesting. can you talk us through?— quite interesting. can you talk us through? quite interesting. can you talk us throu~h? ., , ,, ., us through? you see troops in a forest here _ us through? you see troops in a forest here and _ us through? you see troops in a forest here and there _ us through? you see troops in a forest here and there you - us through? you see troops in a forest here and there you see i forest here and there you see troops and military vehicles in a town and this is of significance because we have been focusing on that a0 mile convoy north—west of kyiv, the capital, which has been stalled for a while around the airport. but now it looks like there are manoeuvres, they are dispersing and redeploying and so those shots have been going further into town closer to the airport and elsewhere, some have moved north to another airport with long—range missiles there. it is interesting, given the picture of the movement of the russian side is there. what is the plan when it comes to ukrainian forces? irate the plan when it comes to ukrainian forces?- ukrainian forces? we saw another — ukrainian forces? we saw another port _ ukrainian forces? we saw another port of _ ukrainian forces? we saw another port of a - ukrainian forces? we saw another port of a convoy i another port of a convoy north—east of kyiv recently partly destroyed, that was ukrainian ministry, defence ministry releasing those

pictures. we also saw quentin somerville's report from the front line and he describes a different type of battle, a bottle of wills. and a former retired commanding general of the army in europe watch that report and he had this to say. the human dimension is so much more _ the human dimension is so much more powerful and important than — more powerful and important than the _ more powerful and important than the material or technical part — than the material or technical part this_ than the material or technical part. this is why i think that ukraine _ part. this is why i think that ukraine is_ part. this is why i think that ukraine is going to win in the end — ukraine is going to win in the end they— ukraine is going to win in the end. they have time on their side, — end. they have time on their side, the _ end. they have time on their side, the logistical situation is getting better by the day and the _ is getting better by the day and the russians have a manpower shortage, i think they have _ manpower shortage, i think they have an — manpower shortage, i think they have an ammunition shortage will have an ammunition shortage wiii start— have an ammunition shortage will start showing up soon. hinting _ will start showing up soon. hinting that the tide is turning. another unexpected development on russian state tv it was reported that on a debate show some people were being critical of the war and likening it to afghanistan but much worse, referring to the soviet union �*s humiliating invasion in 1989 there. so interesting that that was let throu . h. . ,

interesting that that was let throu . h. ., , ., interesting that that was let throu~h. .,, ., , w through. one last thing to pick u . through. one last thing to pick u- with through. one last thing to pick up with you. — through. one last thing to pick up with you, the _ through. one last thing to pick up with you, the issue - through. one last thing to pick up with you, the issue of - up with you, the issue of chemical weapons. what do we know? , _ chemical weapons. what do we know? , . chemical weapons. what do we know? , _ . ., know? deeply concerning to the international _ know? deeply concerning to the international community - know? deeply concerning to the international community if - international community if russia uses chemical weapons and the uk in the us who have often spoken about false flag operations in the past have said that they suspect chemical weapons may now be being considered by the russians. 0ne chemical weapons expert thinks it is likely they will use them and this is his explanation as to why. and this is his explanation as to wh . ., , .., and this is his explanation as towh. ., ., to why. people can hide among the rubble. _ to why. people can hide among the rubble, the _ to why. people can hide among the rubble, the ukrainian - the rubble, the ukrainian military can hide there, jump out and kill vulnerable tanks. but if you use chemical weapons that has not stopped by concrete walls. it seeks underground and kills people underground. the underground and kills people underground.— underground and kills people underground. the russians are accusina underground. the russians are accusing the — underground. the russians are accusing the americans - underground. the russians are accusing the americans have i accusing the americans have biological activities inside ukraine and they called a security council meeting to discuss it on friday. president zelensky says you just have to

know russia's plans to look at what russia is accusing others of and he says there is absolutely no such activity on his land. �* ~ , ., his land. and we will keep an e e out his land. and we will keep an eye out for— his land. and we will keep an eye out for that _ his land. and we will keep an eye out for that meeting. - his land. and we will keep an i eye out for that meeting. thank you, but for coming down and talking us through all those issues. there is a lot to get through, thank you. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll tell you how the sale of chelsea football club is now on hold after owner roman abramovich is sanctioned by the british government. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than za 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 at our huts. god, we were all petrified.

james earl ray, aged a1, 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 news, the latest headlines: we're with ukrainian forces on the frontline, fighting to defend the country's second largest city kharkiv from russia's relentless assault. more than 2 million people are said to have fled the capital kyiv, but others have arrived, after escaping from the russian soldiers moving ever closer to the city.

within ukraine, humanitarian corridors have been set up in an attempt to allow hundreds of thousands of civilians to escape the fighting. one of those corridors is from sumy in the north—west to poltava, almost 200 kilometres away. in the past three days around 60,000 people — that's one in five of the population — have left sumy. 0ur eastern european correspondent sarah rainsford has been meeting some of them. sleeping peacefully at last. after 15 days of fear. this little boy arrived from sumy last night. to a city where there are no bombs and no fighter jets. but the children here have brought their memories. daniel's poem is about enemies and occupiers and longing for peaceful skies. he and his mum escaped sumy squeezed into a car with strangers when the shooting was stopped for a few hours. translation: we walked over broken

glass, we saw the ruined build, the bombing, the roofs ripped off, it was scary. that is why we are fleeing, running as far as possible from the shooting. trying to save our lives and the children above all. "it is so russia doesn't kill us," daniel pipes up. he is eight years old. russia is trying to bomb his city into submission. tens of thousands of civilians have now been evacuated, but ukraine's soldiers are still resisting. and behind the lines there is a giant support effort. the school that is now housing evacuees is also feeding hundreds of soldiers. teachers and residents all pitching in. now we are cooking for our soldiers

so they can protect our homes, our children, our parents, grandparents and our whole country. just two weeks' ago that was a normal school kitchen, but now all of this is being prepared to feed ukrainian soldiers, and people displaced by the fighting. the lady in charge told me she can't believe they are doing this, but it's a massive collective effort to provide the food and to make it here at the school. this classroom is now home for a family from kharkiv. safe, but stranded, with nowhere else to go. svetla na talks of the terrifying sound of russian fighterjets, but also of friends in russia itself, who tell her ukraine provoked this war and who claim even now that no civilians are suffering. "that really hurts", svetla na says. her niece's world has shrunk to this. it is safe for now, but katya's learned it can be shattered in an instant. sarah rainsford, bbc news.

the russian owner of chelsea football club, roman abramovich, is among another seven people who've been hit with sanctions by the uk government because of their suspected close links to president putin. the decision means that although chelsea can still play matches, the sale of the club is on hold, and it's now banned from selling tickets, players, and any merchandise. the mobile phone company three has said it is suspending its sponsorship with the club. the bbc�*s asad ahmad gave this update from chelsea's stamford bridge ground. well, there is a huge amount of interest in what's happening here at chelsea. just a week ago, roman abramovich, the owner for nearly 20 years, said he was going to sell the club. that caught a number of chelsea fans by surprise, they weren't necessarily shocked, it is because of events in ukraine.

in the days that followed, a number of billionaires stepped forward saying that they'd be interested in buying the club, but then today the government slapped some sanctions on mr roman abramovich, which means he's not allowed to sell the club as of yet. 0ther implications of those sanctions mean the club's shop has to remain closed at the moment. you might say that's not a big deal, the club shop being closed, but it's the significance of it — that mr roman abramovich is not allowed to benefit from a single pound made in that club shop. so that has to remain closed until further notice. as far as the team is concerned, as well, travel costs for away games is being capped at £20,000. that sounds like a lot of money, but not when you have to move a squad of players, backroom staff, physios and managers, to away games, including to lille in france next week. lots of people will be wondering, what is happening behind the scenes at the club itself, and will it be affecting the players? we will find out soon enough. in australia, the ukrainian community has been demonstrating, calling for more international support to resist russia's invasion of ukraine.

halfway across the world there is worry for families trapped in the conflict, and despair at the worsening situation. phil mercer has more from sydney. chanting: help ukraine, help ukraine! fear and rage on the streets of australia's biggest city. protesters want the world to do more to stop russia's attack on ukraine. some say they could return home to help their families, resist the occupation, despite warnings from australia's prime minister not to go and fight against russia. i can do much more being here and helping, but if necessary, i have no reservations. i will pick up a gun, i will go. my father is sitting with his rifle, with his hunting rifle, at the window, waiting for the invaders to come so he can shoot them. my father is over 70 years old. ukraine is thousands of kilometres from australia, but the conflict has cut deep into the soul of its expatriate community here. it's doing all it can to stand in solidarity with friends

and family members back home. this rally here in sydney is part of a loud, global chorus of support. there's also condemnation of putin's invasion by russian demonstrators. ukrainian people are our brothers. it's a massive mistake. we can see it now. you can't do this. it's the 21st century. st andrews ukrainian catholic church in sydney has become a beacon of prayer and pride. for many in the congregation, being so far away from relatives in the conflict zone is unbearable... messaging them every day via social media, hearing from them, i'm waking up every morning and the first thing i'm doing is looking up what has happened over there. it's excruciating. it's been terribly heartbreaking. i can't even begin to imagine what they are all going through over there. what little comfort they can find

has been through faith and raising funds for humanitarian support for those in ukraine or the millions that have fled to neighbouring countries. halfway across the world, the pain of war is felt among the ukrainian diaspora, but where there is despair, there is also defiance. phil mercer, bbc news. the american actor, jussie smollett, has been sentenced to 150 days in prison for staging a fake hate crime. the star of the tv show, �*empire', claimed to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in chicago in 2019. prosecutors said smollett had paid two men to arrange the attack, in order to raise his acting profile.

that is all from me, plenty more online. you can reach me on social media. i'm lewis vaughan—jones. this is bbc news. goodbye. hello. the last couple of days, the weather really has been quite good. beautiful, sunny skies for some of us, particularly across eastern parts of the uk. but things are going to turn now — the cloud you can see on the satellite picture is a weather front, it's approaching. it means rain, wind, and really, that's how it'll be over the next few days. so through the early hours of the morning, the outbreaks of rain are reaching western parts of the uk. even ahead of it, we have some rain across scotland and parts of england. but generally speaking, it is a dry night and early morning. very, very mild, 8—10 celsius in many areas. then quickly through the morning, the rain becomes quite heavy in southwestern parts of england, through wales, the midlands. the rain will reach wales and eventually southwestern scotland, too, and through the afternoon, i think many of us will have had at least some rain. now through the afternoon or so, it'll brighten up across wales

and southwestern parts of england. sunshine and showers here the second half of the day. there could be some thunderstorms, too, and on top of that, the winds will strengthen. but you can see it across the uk — it is a real mixed bag, i think, through friday and into friday night. now saturday, we see another area of low pressure with new fronts approaching us — this, once again, spells heavy rain initially for western parts of the uk. but in the southwest, as this low pressure increases, you can see strong winds blowing around it, and we could be talking about gusts of 60—70mph around the isles of scilly and the tip of cornwall. so really very blustery, even quite stormy weather for a time here. but elsewhere eastern parts of the country on saturday — look at that, newcastle, hull, london —— fine, sunshine. breezy, yes, but at least you'll have the sunshine. and then come sunday, that low pressure really spreads across the country. it'll become windy elsewhere, gale force winds around some of the coasts, but there will be plenty of sunny spells occasionally interrupted by some heavy showers brought in by those strong winds. so, yes, there'll be some sunshine around through the weekend, but there'll be blustery winds around, too, and heavy showers, with temperatures hovering around 12 celsius or so.

how about next week? well, we're expecting the temperatures to rise even as high as 17—18 celsius, at least temporarily, in southwestern parts of the uk. so the southerly winds will bring milder but changeable weather.

this is bbc news, the headlines: ukrainian forces are fighting to defend the country's second largest city kharkiv from russia's relentless assault. the city has endured nightly russian air attacks and suffered dozens of civilian deaths and hundreds of injuries. most of the city's one and a half million residents have fled. new satellite images show the russian military convoy heading towards kyiv has now dispersed, with artillery redeployed in firing positions. the convoy was last seen northwest of kyiv, near antonov airport. the images show armoured units manoeuvring in and through the surrounding towns close to the airport. more than two million people are thought to have fled the capital kyiv — but others have arrived, after escaping from the russian soldiers moving closer to the city. humanitarian organisations have warned that many people have run out of food and are still living without water or gas. now on bbc news, the travel show.