this is bbc world news, the headlines... ukraine says at least 35 people have been killed in a missile attack on a military base near the polish border. dozens more were injured. foreign instructors have worked there in the past — it's not known if any

are currently there. the polish president has told the bbc that if russia uses weapons of mass destruction in ukraine, it would be likely to change nato�*s stance on the conflict. ukraine has accused russia of abducting a second mayor. yevhen matveyev, is the elected leader of the southern city of dniprorudne — near to melitopol, where russian forces detained the mayor on friday. police in moscow have made a number of arrests at a protest against the war in ukraine. opposition groups say they planned to hold similar demonstrations in other major cities across russia. now on bbc news, yalda hakim is on the frontline of russia's invasion of ukraine, both inside the country and the countries on its borders, reporting on events, with graphic images some viewers may find disturbing.

every day, this war has become more dangerous and more deadly. hundreds and thousands of people are desperately trying to get to safety, many of them making their way west here to lviv. the city is now a hub for the displaced, but its mayor says it is overwhelmed and at capacity. as the second week of fighting began, president zelensky told russia that ukrainians would not forgive or forget. "there will be no quiet place on earth for you", he said, "except for the grave". as the conflict entered its 12th day, fighting intensified in the north, east and south of the country. tens of thousands of people were trapped in the strategic port city of mariupol, which has been under relentless bombardment. food, water and medicine were in desperately short supply.

i spoke to the deputy mayor as authorities struggled to safely evacuate citizens. we were trying for three days to evacuate our citizens. we, as a city, can evacuate 2,000 or 3,000 citizens per day, we have this capacity, but this capacity is decreasing because russia continues to shell our municipal buses and uses them as a target. vladimir putin and the kremlin have said that they are happy to create humanitarian corridors as long as ukrainians are prepared to go to russia or belarus. how do you respond to that? i think it is a terrible situation when the aggressor, the country who tries to kill ukrainians, gives us an opportunity or suggests an opportunity to evacuate people to such a country. what is the situation now like for the residents of mariupol?

for six days we don't have any electricity, any water supply, any heating system, any sanitation system and this day we were shelled, the pipeline of gas that transports gas to mariupol was shelled, our last kind of utility our citizens had. already on its knees, within days mariupol would suffer another devastating attack. russia's offer to create safe routes while ukrainians desperately tried to save themselves from bombardment is roundly rejected. the proposed routes would take people to russia itself and to its ally, belarus. president zelensky calls the proposal immoral. translation: there is a feeling |this is happening in some other| country, but it is happening in our country. exactly in our country. in the cities of dnipro and mariupol, people begin planning their own journeys to safety.

sarah rainsford spoke with families attempting to flee. shelling, bombing, really loud in kharkiv. it is a really terrible situation because when everything started, our house, i don't know how to tell it. it's like... every time. her mum is staying put, though it's 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 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. men are being pulled out of the crowd and are being told they have to stay. 350 miles north—west, russia intensifies its attack on irpin, close to the capital, kyiv. this town is crucial to the russian advance.

0rla guerin witnesses attempts to make a treacherous crossing under heavy bombardment. well, this is a difficult journey, 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 forwards, some are coming with their children, most are coming with a few small things they can carry. they have been under bombardment in irpin for days and they are not safe now, even as they try to leave. the shelling has been continuing. suddenly, this. gunfire. some ukrainian forces running for cover. 0thers getting civilians out of the line of fire. kyiv is just half—an—hour away. if ukraine loses this town, and it has 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 are staying in irpin for now, they can't 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, please, to close the sky. the un says that since the invasion began more than 1.7 million people, most of them women and children, have fled ukraine, crossing the borders to neighbouring poland, romania, slovakia, hungary and moldova. this is now the fastest growing refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. lucy williamson was in moldova

as people cross the border. for some, this isn't a one—wayjourney. aid workers said that women are dropping off their children here before turning round and going straight back to ukraine. i will never forget the woman that told me that she is working in an orphanage and she has 50 children. she can't leave them there. or a woman working at an electric station. that is responsible for the whole city. she said that people are running so there will be nobody to maintain the basic needs of 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.

chanting. opposition to the war continues to be silenced in russia, as thousands are detained for protesting against the invasion. their voices stifled. the russian defence ministry releases images said to be of tanks around ukraine's capital. it is the military hardware that is doing the talking. as putin seeks to regain stalled momentum, international discussions continue to try to find a way through the crisis. it is a day of huge economic significance in the fight against putin. the united states, britain and the eu announced major moves to clamp down on imports of russian oil and gas. this is a step that we are taking to inflict further pain on putin, but there will be costlier

in the united states. i said i'd level with the american people from the beginning and when i first spoke to this i said freedom is going to cost, it is going to cost us as well in the united states. the severe sanctions mean to russia's economy is collapsing. more and more household names are holding trade in russia and blocking access to goods and services. speaking on international women's day, vladimir putin calls on russian women to support the ukraine offensive. translation: i want to say this to mothers, wives, - sisters and girlfriends of our soldiers and officers in battle who are defending russia in the special military operation. i understand how worried you must be about your loved ones. you should be proud of them, like the whole country is. the kremlin is doing everything it can at home to control the narrative about what is happening in ukraine. virtually all independent

russian news outlets have been either blocked or shutdown and a new law has made it a criminal offence to spread what the authorities deem to be fake news about the russian armed forces, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. by now it is clear that the quick victory that moscow had hoped for has failed to materialise. russian forces have taken very little territory over the last week and their advance towards the capital has been slowed by attacks from ukrainian forces. jeremy bowen visited a ukrainian hospital a few miles from the russian positions. translation: | still. have two legs, he said. they will fix me up and i will fight on. the hospital director said this was the third world war. russian people only understand the language of power. nothing more.

it is impossible to negotiate with the man who came to kill you. by this morning they were getting ready to abandon the hospital. the director said my ship is sinking and i will be the last to leave. you have the strong feeling here that they are preparing for the worst, packing up the medical equipment, the patients had been evacuated, the russians are not very far away. there is a tangible fear in this place that that russian offensive, which has been stalled, may be ready to regain momentum and start moving closer to the capital. as the temporary ceasefire holds in some parts of the country, civilians still trapped in besieged towns and cities scrambled for safety. convoys of vehicles stream out of sumy.

people facing new, uncertain lives. the trauma of the last two weeks clearly evident. it was so terrible and my parents, i left my parents in sumy. i hope i will see them another time. my father, maybe he will go to the army. the neighbouring countries of this region share a traumatic past. they have all had to fight for their sovereignty. poland has welcomed the majority of ukraine's refugees so far. mark lowen was at a crossing as arrivals continued to pour in. most of those who have crossed over since the war began are heading towards friends orfamily here in poland or elsewhere in europe, but as the fighting worsens, a second wave of refugees could soon start to come who could be more vulnerable and place more pressure on the first points of entry, like here in poland. and, says the eu, arrivals could swell to 5 million.

in each number, tragedy. we lost our life, our safety. we cannot plan any future because we don't know what will be tomorrow. in britain, history is made when president zelensky makes a speech via video to the house of commons, the first ever by a foreign leader. translation: we will not give up and we will not lose. - we will fight to the ends at sea, in the air. we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. applause.

on the 14th day of the conflict, a devastating attack on a maternity and children's hospital by russian forces in the southern port city of mariupol. the attack, which causes colossal damage, killing at least three people and injuring at least 17, comes while a ceasefire is supposed to be in place. president zelensky accuses russia of committing a war crime. translation: we have not done and would never do anything - like this war crime in any of the cities of the donetsk or lugansk regions, or any region, because we are people, but are you? the bombing of the maternity hospital is the final proof, proof that the genocide of ukrainians is taking place. europeans, you cannot say that you didn't see what happened to ukrainians, what happened in mariupol, with the people of mariupol. you saw, you know.

many make the long journey west here to lviv. fergal keane has followed the medics working night and day to help those fleeing this bitter conflict. we followed the medics from one call to another. to 82—year—old valentina, travelling alone, with high blood pressure, herfamily has stayed behind in the east. translation: i don't know anything. - i am going, and that is it. i hope there are good people, that is all. i believe i won't be left behind. this used to be a station lounge. now it is a makeshift clinic. this is the lead doctor's evening conference. around the clock, the patients come. like five—year—old nassar, who has been sick with a chest

infection for ten days. translation: this is a disaster. - it is pain, it is grief. we have a lot of people who on the outside are holding it together, but inside are worried. we don't sleep. valentina left for poland today, trusting there, as she must, in the kindness of strangers. there are fears that ukraine's biggest seaport, the southern city of odesa, could be the next major target for russian ground forces. lucy williamson was there as residents set up barricades. at a secret location, they are getting ready to meet the russian army, testing recipes for molotov cocktails and getting in some target practice. two weeks ago, danillo was in his final year

of a law degree. now he is making home—made bombs with ukraine's civil defence force. when did you learn how to make molotov cocktails, he was asked. it seems it is an optional course for the fourth year of a degree, he quips. bogdan was in kyiv looking for work as a lawyer when the war began. translation: my family said i had to come back. because they needed my help. ukrainians across the country have met the russian aggressors with these weapons. a team here has been making two crates a day. we have got a lot better at it, bogdan says. translation: it is like making soup, you needj to do everything step—by—step. as the conflict enters its 15th day, the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov, arrives in turkey with face—to—face talks with his ukrainian counterpart. the highest level meeting

between the two countries since the conflict began. but the talks failed to yield progress on a ceasefire. they will continue their aggression until ukraine meets their demands and the list of those demands is a surrender, and this is why it is not acceptable to us. ukraine's second largest city, kharkiv, has endured nightly russian air attacks since the conflict began. most of the city's 1.5 million residents have fled. dozens are dead. hundreds are injured. quentin sommerville is the first correspondent to be embedded with the ukrainian army as they fight the russian advance. this close to the russian border, there is another threat here. saboteurs.

no one escapes scrutiny. olena, 76—years—old, is lost and confused. in an instant, everybody�*s life here has been upended. 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 gromanski. where are the russians? over the sound of shelling he tells me, the russians soldiers are about 900 metres away from here. you can hear right now they are firing on our positions and we are firing back.

it is a grenade launcher, british. it is more than just a grenade launcher. it is a guided missile. is it good against tanks? it is the best we have right now. how are the russians fighting? like soldiers of 1941. they attack, they don't do any manoeuvres. they have a lot of people, a lot of tanks, a lot of vehicles, but we are fighting in our lands and we will protect our families, so it doesn't matter how they fight, we fight like lions and they won't win. this city of over a million people has emptied out. this civilian, so close to ukrainian lines, just didn't make it. we have actually come beyond the ukrainian front line and we know that because look at all to destruction around

here. this whole area is littered with dead russian bodies. these men in fact, and there are two more over there, two more over there, are chechen. they have identification on them. their weapons had been removed. the ukrainians keep telling us that they are really comfortable with this kind of fight because this is their territory, their city, their families. the challenge for them is what comes from the sky. they want more aircraft and air defences. that might be where this battle, this war, is won or lost. in a war with russia, the front line is everywhere. this is what people have been fleeing in kharkiv. endless bombardment for the past two weeks.

tannoy: a fire had i started in the building. for that reason, please go to ground floor and exit the building. this was what russia does to cities. it bombards them. it surrounds them. it terrorises entire populations. if these tactics are unfamiliar to you, then you haven't been paying attention because this is the russian attack playbook, 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. ms 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 dimitri, 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 is coming next. translation: we are defenders. we will ride together. we will win this war and all the heroic people will regather to rebuild our beloved ukraine. yalda: meanwhile, russianforces continued their advance towards the capital, kyiv. more than half the population has fled since the invasion began. the russians are about five kilometres 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.

the conflict in ukraine appears to be spreading. the russian defence ministry says it has taken up two airfields. at least one person has died in the first known air strike in the central eastern city of dnipro. this is the epicentre of that missile strike in dnipro. we were told this was a shoe factory and it was hit at around six o'clock this morning. hours later you can still see there is smoke rising from the ruins, the fire, workers here are still here trying to put out the last flames. local people have come here picking through the ruins, trying to clear up this site. it is one of absolute devastation. the ruins of this factory all around me, and this really acrid smell of the smoke in the air. the thing that has struck me is just how close this is to a residential area. there are blocks of flats all around.

today has been another day where more sanctions have been imposed on russia, more strong words of condemnation from many capitals, including from the un security council in the last hour, yet it has no impact, it seems, on the course of this war. day 16 of russia's invasion, a day where russia has intensified and widened this war. singing and weeping. the dead are returning. to homes far from the battlefield. today they buried dmitro kabikov, 59. andre, a0. tarras djidok, 25. for all the solidarity of crowds, this grief is solitary.

each lost individual. for families, for comrades. as this conflict enters its third week, sanctions against russia may be starting to bite, but ukraine is in turmoil and no one knows when this is going to end.

hello. as overnight rain clears away eastwards, many of us left with sunny spells and showers today on a windy day, more widely so than it was yesterday. some of that overnight rain, though, lingering across eastern counties of england into this afternoon. elsewhere, it is sunshine and showers and heavy, possibly thundery may emerge in northern ireland for some longer spells of rain, gusty winds, irish sea coasts, counties of northern ireland, southwest scotland, windiest, 50 to 60 mile per hour gusts could be disruptive in places. up to around 13 degrees celsius in northern england this afternoon. the last of that rain does clear eastern england into tonight, a few showers in the far southwest and some more rain pushing back into northern ireland. elsewhere, though, it's clear spells with lighter winds across parts of wales and england. there could just be a touch of frost here and there as the day begins tomorrow. with early rain clearing away from northern ireland, outbreaks of rain through scotland, northern england, north wales,

a few showers southern and eastern england. but for much of wales and england, it's sunny spells and it'll feel a bit warmer. bye— bye.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm tim willcox. the war in ukraine comes to the door of nato and the eu. at least 35 are killed and dozens injured in a missile attack on a ukrainian military base near the polish border. according to preliminary data, more than 30 missiles were fired. the air defence system worked and a number were shot down. the facility is used for training with nato instructors — it's not clear if any were at the base when it was hit. poland's president tells the bbc that if russia used weapons of mass destruction in ukraine, it would likely change nato's stance on the conflict. translation: if he uses weapons of mass destruction, _ it will be a game—changer

in the whole thing. because it will be dangerous not only for ukraine,