this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm tim wilcox. our top stories... gunshots at dawn on the outskirts of the ukrainian capital kyiv — as russia pushes into new areas across the country. residents of the city of melitopol have reportedly come out to protest against the alleged abduction of the mayor by russian forces. yesterday the invaders ceased the mayor of melitopol and the community demand for him to be freed. ukraine says it hopes a number of humanitarian corridors from the besieged city of mariupol

will open up and accuses russia of blocking supplies. the russian defence minister says 16,000 fighters from the middle east have volunteered to fight with the russian army in ukraine. on friday, president putin backed the plan. and it's now estimated more than two and—a half million people have left ukraine to escape the war. welcome to the programme. furtherfighting has been taking place outside the ukrainian capital, kyiv, where russian forces are around 15 miles from the centre of the city. we have also had reports that more russian troops have been regrouping,

probably for a fresh offensive on the city. let's get the very latest. this report by frank gardner. a direct hit on a russian armoured column as it advances on the capital, kyiv. the russian advance has been slowed but not stopped. now the population is bracing for the worst. it the population is bracing for the worst. , ., , worst. it is unsafe to stay the niuht worst. it is unsafe to stay the ni . ht at worst. it is unsafe to stay the night at home. _ worst. it is unsafe to stay the night at home. the _ worst. it is unsafe to stay the night at home. the windows. worst. it is unsafe to stay the i night at home. the windows are shaking. i dropped by my placejust to feed the cat. it's actually why i came to the shop here, also for some bread. i will cook some pasta at home or go back to the basement, the temporary shelter. it is very scary in our temporary shelter.- in our temporary shelter. russian forces are — in our temporary shelter. russian forces are moving _ in our temporary shelter. russian forces are moving to _ in our temporary shelter. russian forces are moving to encircle - in our temporary shelter. russian forces are moving to encircle kyiv in a pincer movement. if they can't take the capital, they can't win this war so they are likely to be throwing everything at it. missile and artillery strikes continue

hitting other targets throughout much of the country. this was ukrainian military airbase. this is what remains of the library in chernihiv after overnight shelling. here, the aftermath of a mortar attack on the outskirts of kyiv. close to half of the city's population has already fled. those that remain are either putting up vinyl defences or hunkering down in shelters. in the southern city of melitopol, the mayor was one of those vowing never to surrender to the invaders, but russian forces prevailed and the cctv footage shows him being abducted by russian soldiers with a bag over his head, prompting outrage from the president. translation: it president. translation: , ., president. translation: ., . translation: it is a democratic world here. _ translation: it is a democratic world here, therefore _ translation: it is a democratic world here, therefore the - translation: it is a democratic| world here, therefore the capture translation: it is a democratic. world here, therefore the capture of the mayor of melitopol is a crime, not only against a particular person and community, and not only against ukraine. this is a crime against

democracy. iassure ukraine. this is a crime against democracy. i assure you, 100% of people in all democracies know this. the actions of the russian invaders will be equated with the actions of isis terrorists.— will be equated with the actions of isis terrorists. russian rockets and artillery are _ isis terrorists. russian rockets and artillery are wreaking _ isis terrorists. russian rockets and artillery are wreaking a _ isis terrorists. russian rockets and artillery are wreaking a terrible - artillery are wreaking a terrible toll on ukraine's infrastructure and on its civilian population. just three weeks ago, kharkiv was a thriving european city. circled and pummelled by artillery, much of it is a dystopian wasteland. calls for a ceasefire were met with the simple answer from the kremlin. a ceasefire were met with the simple answerfrom the kremlin. stop resisting, give into our demands and the war will end. gardner, resisting, give into our demands and the warwill end. gardner, bbc resisting, give into our demands and the war will end. gardner, bbc news. —— frank gardner, bbc news. let's get more now on the latest evacuations in northern ukraine. 0ur correspondent abdujalil abdurasulov sent this update from irpin which is about 25 kilometres north—west of kyiv. people drive towards this blown—up bridge and leave their cars and then

cross the river on foot. there are a lot of people who are on wheelchairs, disabled, elderly people who can't walk. for them, this is a massive obstacle. so let me show you how they cross this river. there are 15 humanitarian corridors announced by the ukrainian authorities today in order to evacuate citizens. you can hear the sound of explosions. even though the evacuation from this area is still going on, we can't say that the ceasefire is holding because we can hear the sound of explosions and the sound of artillery fire including the outgoing fire as well. but despite this fact, people from irpin and other areas are trying to flee because they say staying at home is much more dangerous.

let's bring you more now on something which frank gardner touched on in his report — the protests in melitopol, a ukrainian city which has been captured by russian forces, after what appears to have been the abduction of the mayor by russian soldiers. ukrainian officials posted this video saying it shows ivan fedorov being led away blindfolded at the top of the shot on friday. the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelensky, has given an address to the nation an hour or so ago and events in melitopol were the first thing he raised.

translation: brave people of some unsubdueable ukraine this morning in always ukrainian military people, people were gathering for a demonstration against russian forces trying to subdue the city. more than 2,000 people in the square. please, those in moscow, listen. if against occupation, 2,000 people go to demonstrate, how many of them should be there to, to be honest, to be fair. yesterday, the invaders seized the mayor of melitopol and the community of melitopol demand for him to be freed, and i'm grateful for every resident of the city for this position. the invaders should feel that they are alien to our land, on our land, all our land of ukraine, and they will never be accepted during the night. and today we have been

in conversation with our partners, with our city mayor, and the demand is simple. free him immediately. live now to our correspondent in kyiv, james waterhouse. four days this convoy has been closing in on the capital city. how far away are they now? if closing in on the capital city. how far away are they now?— closing in on the capital city. how far away are they now? if you ask uk defence officials, _ far away are they now? if you ask uk defence officials, they _ far away are they now? if you ask uk defence officials, they are _ far away are they now? if you ask uk defence officials, they are thought i defence officials, they are thought to be more than ten miles away. we know there is heavy fighting half an hour drive away from here in the north—westerly direction around the town is there. some people are able to get out, but it is the spreading out of the a0 mile convoy that is adding to worries russia is preparing to mount a much larger attack on the capital. 0ne preparing to mount a much larger attack on the capital. one of the things hard to compute is what will happen next. of course we are seeing a continuation of cities being surrounded, certainly with kharkiv in the east, especially mariupol in the south—east where conditions are

increasingly desperate for people there. but it is not clear what russia is planning for the capital. it's obviously its ultimate prize in the so—called special military operation, but there is speculation, would vladimir putin really want to bombard this city? it is already happening in residential areas on the outskirts. we have had the cocktail of sounds of roadworks in the middle of the city as council workers get to work against a backdrop of continuous rumbling of explosions in the north—western area where there is most intense fighting. we have seen a factory in the east of the city hit by a missile. but it doesn't add up what happens after that. vladimir putin, whether he wants to put in a puppet government or whatever happens should ukraine fall, and ukraine is putting up staunch resistance on that front, but it doesn't quite make sense what is his plan for the capital. people are fearing the worst but the uncertainty continues. it has such huge totemic value. you

can see the building behind you there, in terms of the destruction that would be caused if there were a serious assault on the city now. in terms of the numbers of ukrainian troops and militias, what are we talking about here, james? timer;r troops and militias, what are we talking about here, james? they are at a numerical _ talking about here, james? they are at a numerical disadvantage. - talking about here, james? they are at a numerical disadvantage. they . at a numerical disadvantage. they are facing the best part of 150,000 russian soldiers spread across the country. so they are the underdogs, but the last eight years has seen ukraine's army receive far better training. superior equipment which has been used to great effect in terms of anti—tank missiles for example, anti—aircraft missiles as well which we have seen just this morning, you can see the vapour trail of a ground to air missile going up, completely at odds with the peaceful, mild day that we are having at the moment. so they are the underdogs, but we have to remember that only one city has

fallen so far. kherson in the south. we have seen demonstrations there and ukrainians making clear what they think of their new occupiers, defiantly waving the national flag in front of russian soldiers who are firing weapons in the air to try to get the crowd to split up. but the reason why one city has fallen is because of the level of resistance they are being met with as they try and advance on the cities. kyiv will be no different to what we have seen in kharkiv and mariupol and chernihiv to the north. but the cost to both sides is so great now. building is turning to rubble, people dying in the street from either heavy shelling or starvation now, especially in mariupol in the south—east. which is why russia is resorting to these much more brutal, old—fashioned methods if you like to try and get cities to roll over. but would vladimir putin want to do that

with kyiv? an ancient city, older than moscow, loved by many russians. don't forget russia and ukraine have many cultural ties so it is one of many cultural ties so it is one of many elements that doesn't add up. the times i've been speaking to you over the past few weeks, there's been little sign of any military aircraft in this guise. i mean, who has control of the skies at the moment? —— any military aircraft in the skies. moment? -- any military aircraft in the skies. ., v moment? -- any military aircraft in the skies. . �* , ., . ., ., the skies. that's not clear. one of the skies. that's not clear. one of the frustrations _ the skies. that's not clear. one of the frustrations early _ the skies. that's not clear. one of the frustrations early in _ the skies. that's not clear. one of the frustrations early in the - the skies. that's not clear. one of the frustrations early in the war i the skies. that's not clear. one of the frustrations early in the war is j the frustrations early in the war is that they didn't have air superiority which they were hoping to get on the first day. the day that will be so hard to forget so many people, it was overcast and they were the sound of air raid sirens and missiles landing on until then what had been a peaceful city.

we saw footage of drones being used by ukrainian forces on armoured convoys and other parts of ukraine, but since then, it's been quiet. certainly from our perspective. but for a lot has repeated his calls for air support. we have poland offer mig-29s, air support. we have poland offer mig—29s, which was very much dampened by the us and other nato members because they didn't want to be seen to be intervening because they think that could lead to a much greater conflict. nevertheless it's been a frustration of the ukrainian government that they haven't been able to reassert themselves in the air space, able to reassert themselves in the airspace, not least able to reassert themselves in the air space, not least because the a0 mile convoy stuck north of kyiv has been able to remain in situ so long and now as feared it has spread out and now as feared it has spread out and adopted more of an attacking position. and adopted more of an attacking osition. , ., , . ., ., , position. james waterhouse, live in k iv, position. james waterhouse, live in kyiv. thank— position. james waterhouse, live in kyiv. thank you _ position. james waterhouse, live in kyiv, thank you very _ position. james waterhouse, live in kyiv, thank you very much. -

the uk's ministry of defence has given this update of the latest developments in the fighting in ukraine. it says that its intelligence indicates that fighting north—west of kyiv continues, with the bulk of russian ground forces now around 25 kilometres from the centre of the city. elements of the large russian column north of kyiv have dispersed. this is likely to support a russian attempt to encircle the city. it could also be an attempt by russia to reduce its vulnerability to ukrainian counter attacks, which have taken a significant toll on russian forces. and it concludes that beyond kyiv, the cities of kharkiv, chernihiv, sumy and mariupol remain encircled and continue to suffer heavy russian shelling. the russian defence minister has said that 16,000 fighters from the middle east have volunteered to fight with the russian army in ukraine. if they do take up weapons there, it won't be the first time russia has actively engaged in recruiting what many people consider mercenaries. hanan razek has the story.

syrian fighters that reportedly want to go and fight in ukraine alongside the russian troops. and a warm welcome from the kremlin, that says it has received more than 16,000 applications from middle eastern fighters. but the bbc has learned that russian mercenary fighters are already in ukraine. first seen supporting separatists in ukraine in 201a, the russian wagner group has been infamous for operating mercenaries in other countries, including syria and libya. 0ne wagner fighter told us about his involvement in the current invasion. his words have been voiced by an actor.

there have been reports that there are around a00 wagner fighters in ukraine. a sign of desperation. it allows the russian government to keep the death toll down because they are not going to report the deaths of mercenaries within ukraine, nor are they going to report the deaths of syrians who may have gone over to volunteer to essentially serve as foreign fighters on behalf of vladimir putin. we understand from mercenary sources the recruitment was first carried out weeks before the invasion by russian military intelligence. we have been told they are being trained near this military base in southern russia. we have asked the russian ministry of defence about this and they have not responded yet. we have learnt that recruitment is taking place on a private telegram group used by mercenaries. there have been invitations

to what's called a picnic to taste pork fat, a popular dish in ukraine. the message appeals to those with mortgages, debts, or those who have been banned from mercenary groups to apply. the brand has changed. 0k? if you really think about it, for the last five or six years now we have been hearing more and more about the wagner group's human rights abuses in places like syria, libya, central african republic. moscow has always denied any ties with mercenary groups, but the worry is that the involvement of mercenaries might deteriorate the humanitarian situation even further. hanan razek, bbc news. two other quick news lines linked to the war in ukraine to bring you. officials in moscow are warning that western sanctions could cause the international space

station to crash. they believe the measures could disrupt the operations of russian vessels servicing the iss. the russian section of the station weighs 500 tonnes and helps correct its orbit. and the west�*s crackdown on some of the oligarchs linked to president putin is continuing — italy's financial police say they have seized the yacht of the russian billionaire andre melnichenko. this is it — moored in the port of trieste. it's one of the largest yachts in the world and reportedly worth almost 600 million dollars. more than two and a half million people have now fled ukraine and the humanitarian situation is stretching resources to the limit in several countries. at least a million and a half of the refugees have made their way to poland. 0ur correspondent danjohnson gave us this update from krakow.

you have commuters through here, but there are some really strange contrast. some sad scenes. although the faces keep changing here because there is so much turnover, such a throughput of people, they are in the same situation and this keeps repeating day after day, even two weeks into this. if anything, there are more people coming. the challenge is all of the easy space has gone now. all the people who offered in the first wave to take in a family, that sort of goodwill is getting harder to find so it is getting harder to find so it is getting harder to rehouse families, to find beds, somewhere warm.

there's plenty of food and clothes being donated, and a campaign from polish authorities to have ukrainians move on from the main cities like krakow to some of the smaller towns. there are posters up saying, have you not thought about going to this place are that place? you may find there is more space, things are cheaper, there is more work there. people are finding out not just across work there. people are finding out notjust across poland but so many countries, and there are some desperately sad scenes here of people struggling with their children and pets, trying to find somewhere to sleep on the station concourse, in the flower beds here. every day although the faces change, the stories are similar. these in a way are the fortunate people, those who have been able to get out and have the means to escape. everybody knows there are so many more people likely to come in the days and weeks ahead. g ., ,., moldova has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe, if the country's already saturated resources are overwhelmed by refugees from ukraine.

the number of people fleeing the war in ukraine is so high that the moldovan government says one in eight children is now a refugee. 0ur europe correspondent lucy williamson reports. sometimes, the long, cold journey from ukraine ends here — in the emergency department of moldova's ignatenko children's hospital. within the last week, alexei has fled a war, left family and is living in a new country as a refugee. a high temperature almost counts as normal. around a dozen refugee children arrive here every day, often suffering from dehydration or breathing problems. tanya came straight here from the border. her daughter sofia caught pneumonia on theirjourney from dnipro, in central ukraine. she spent two days in intensive care. "i am completely broken," she told me. "they were bombing everywhere. "now, i'm reading in the news that they bombed a shoe factory

"and people's homes. it's horrible. "it's why everyone's leaving." every eighth child in moldova is now a refugee. and as the fighting creeps closer to moldova's border, the numbers keep rising. fewer than half the refugees arriving here actually stay on, but that's still enough to have increased moldova's population by a% in a fortnight — the equivalent of 2.5 million people arriving in the uk. the government says they are running out of buildings to house them. our only hope is that the war will stop, the front line will stay where it is — this is what we hope. even without any dramatic changes of the front line, we are approaching a breaking point, but if there's a dramatic implosion and fighting around 0desa, that could be a complete catastrophe for the humanitarian situation here and for that, you cannot plan, you cannot prepare. it would just be completely overwhelming.

charities say it's already proving difficult to keep track of some children fleeing ukraine. our main concern is that we've got 100,000 children trapped in the orphanage system in ukraine itself and no tracking system to monitor where those children are at any one time. we've had verified by local authorities who have asked us to help receive 150 children through one of the border crossings. between them leaving that orphanage and the time that we anticipated they would be at the crossing, all 150 children have gone missing. we have no idea where they are. border checks across the region are minimalfor those fleeing the war but protection rests on making sure the vulnerable are visible, because it is hard to protect them if they are not. lucy williamson, bbc news, moldova.

let's get some of the day's other news. a man has been shot dead by police in france, after allegedly wounding an officer with a knife. it happened in the southern city of marseille. officials say the attacker was not known to the security services, had no previous criminal record, and his motivation is not yet clear. the united states has imposed sanctions on three russian companies and two russian individuals it accuses of helping north korea to develop illicit weapons. the measures were announced a day after washington and seoul said that pyongyang had been testing a powerful new intercontinental missile system. saudi arabia has placed a ten—year travel ban on the activist and blogger raif badawi, who was released from prison earlier this week, after spending ten years behind bars. he had been found guilty of insulting islam in his work, by calling for less religious influence on public life. human rights groups had criticised his imprisonment. refugee agencies say that behind

every displaced person is a story, and these pictures perhaps serve to illustrate that point. this is a queue of people leaving ukraine, at the border with poland as a volunteer hands out lollipops. just look at the little girl's delight when she is able to pick a sweet for herself. she's even offered a second one, and her smile gets even bigger. this has gone viral. a touching moment for a child whose life has been turned upside down by conflict. not only her life, but her mother, her parents', herfriends not only her life, but her mother, her parents', her friends and families lives as well. we have a constantly updating

live page on the events in ukraine on our website. for the moment that is it from us and the team in ukraine. hello. changeable weather this weekend. we will all get rain at times but it definitely won't be raining all the time. there will be sunshine occasionally too. today, after for many a damp start, it is a brightening up story now and there will be sunny spells with the chance of a shower. throughout the weekend it's windy, and getting windier still, particularly close to this area of low pressure which moves into south—west england and south west wales first this afternoon. we have an area of rain that has been pushing northwards overnight and into this morning and this afternoon, it is into northern scotland. still raining during the end of the afternoon into the northern and western isles. elsewhere there is a lot of fine weather, broken cloud and sunshine, the chance of catching a shower. the weather going downhill, though, to cornwall and pembrokeshire as we see heavy rain and ever

strengthening winds moving in. highs of around nine to 13 celsius. there are some met office wind warnings for western areas of the uk as we go on through this weekend, so have a look at those if you have travel plans. there could be disruption because of the gusts in the isles of scilly and cornwall, up to 70 mph. up to 60 elsewhere. with the rain moving in here to south—west england and more of wales as we go through the evening, across northern ireland, into western scotland and overnight feeding east into england. also a spell of rain running close to the north sea coast could keep it rather cloudy and damp overnight. some clear spells north and north—west of scotland mayjust allow for a touch of frost in the coldest spots. here's the area of low pressure, running northwards across western areas during sunday so this is where it will be windiest again, gales through the irish sea, winds reaching 60 mph. with a spell of rain clearing through, the eastern side of england and eastern scotland by the start of the afternoon, and then again a case of sunshine and showers. some heavy, possibly thundery. gusty winds around the showers,

it is more widely windy across the uk tomorrow, but again, particularly through northern ireland and western scotland through the afternoon. if anything, tomorrow will feel a touch cooler. not as windy in the week ahead, still some rain around, not much change in the feel of the weather across the northern half of the uk, but the further south you are, it mayjust become very mild for a time. that's your latest forecast.

this is bbc world news, the headlines: gunshots at dawn on the outskirts of the ukrainian capital, kyiv, as russia pushes into new areas across the country. residents of the city of melitopol have reportedly come out to protest against the alleged abduction of the mayor by russian forces. translation: yesterday, | the russian invaders seized the mayor of melitopol and the community of melitopol demand for him to be freed. ukraine says it hopes a number of humanitarian corridors from the besieged city of mariupol will open up, and accuses russia of blocking supplies. the russian defence minister says 16,000 fighters from the middle east