hello, i'm maryam moshiri, this is outside source. russia continues its bombardment of ukrainian cities, and civilian casualties mount. two blocks of flats in the capital, kyiv, is hit by an air strike. wladimir klitschko had this message for the world. this image is the truth of russian waragainst ukraine, putin's war against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol — a city under siege, and people without food, water and heating. authorities say after days of intense shelling, some have been able to evacuate.

a pretty woman wounded in a russia's bombing of a maternity hospital there has reported to have died along with her baby. and us officials claim russia has asked china for military help. moscow denies it. beijing says it's "fake news". there's been no let—up in fighting across many regions of ukraine. russia has continued its bombardment as it closes in on kyiv. in the capital, russia bombed a block of flats, killing two people and injuring several more. residents were rescued from the building as fire took hold. it happened in the north—west of the city. that's where the most intense fighting is happening. this man described what he saw. translation: we hid inside the closet. - we thought we were going to be captured, that the russians were getting in through the door, but we were wrong. we got out from the apartment and saw that the staircase was not there any more.

everything was on fire. and kyiv�*s east has been under attack, too. mayor vitali klitschko and his brother, wladimir, visited this apartment block which was bombed last night. this is a message wladimir recorded at the scene. that's what russia's war against the civilians looks like. destroyed buildings, destroyed infrastructure, city bus just got hit by the rocket. lives are getting lost. there is the war that russia started. it's the city of kyiv, and many cities in ukraine were destroyed, lives were taken. that's the truth. this images is the truth of russian war against ukraine, putin's war against ukraine. that's what it looks like.

this is where russian troops are closing in on the capital. dozens more have died on its outskirts after there was reportedly an attempt by russian forces to cut off supplies. but the reuters news agency carries a quote from the chief of russia's national guard saying... this is the strongest acknowledgement yet that the invasion is not going to plan. meanwhile, kyiv�*s residents are preparing the inner city. this is a street in north—west kyiv. you can see what it looked like before, and now after residents blockaded it. ukraine's president zelensky has been posting regular video updates. here's some of his latest address from the streets of kyiv. translation: wishing you good health, dear ukrainians. -

good weather, which we hardly notice ithese days, clear sky we don't havel over kyiv. over kyiv and other cities of our state because of. missile strikes. streets are quiet, but i know and i hope that this is - not forever. this is what we are fighting for, and we are not giving _ away what is ours. some are still sheltering underground. here's our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. when russia invaded ukraine on february 24th, metro stations like this deep underground immediately became bomb shelters. they were built in the 19605 for this kind of purpose. the first day, this was absolutely packed. some 700 people spent the night here. and now, last night, there were only 80. people have either left kyiv

or found shelter elsewhere. but as russian forces slowly move closer to the capital, what kind of preparations are they making here? svetlana is in charge in this station. translation: we are ready to host | all people who want to come here. | we can host 1300 people. this is the capacity of our station or even maybe more if needed. maya has been living here since the invasion began. do you think you will stay in kyiv? we hear reports the russians are coming closer to the city. translation: we plan to stay. i don't know where to go. i don't want to leave.

here is my house, here is my home. i was born here. where am i supposed to go? i'm so sorry. preparing for a possible siege and shelling, they call this a humanitarian hub. food supplies to feed a city, including tonnes of potatoes. this is kyiv, kitted out for war. lyse doucet, bbc news, kyiv. we can go live to lyse in kyiv now. interesting to see the stories of those in kyiv and the way they are preparing as the russian close in. when people who are still left in this city see what is happening elsewhere in the country, of course they think it's just a matter of time before we, too, will be having to live under incessant shelling

right in the heart of this capital, living with the effects of a siege, running at of food, running out of water. we heard last week from the mayor that nearly 2 million people have already left the city, and of course it's understandable. but when you drive to the streets, you see people who are walking, usually not very many. many of them are elderly. not all of them, but quite a few. those like maia that we met in the metro station. how can i go? this is my home. i don't know any other home. my husband is buried close by. we will stay. and i suppose they have already lived through so much and when they think of a life on the run, life is a refugee, and it's much better to stay here, stay underground. of course everyone is hoping against hope that it does not come to this, but when it comes to a war like this, there is a military fortifications, the sandbanks on the street, the soldiers, the civilians who have taken up guns but there is also this, the resilience of spirit.

people digging in, betting down, sucking up their supplies for what could be a very long and very painful run. could be a very long and very painful run-— could be a very long and very painful run. could be a very long and very ainful run. �* ., , ., , ., painful run. and how strongly do you think the resistance _ painful run. and how strongly do you think the resistance could _ think the resistance could potentially be by the ukrainians in the long—term? we potentially be by the ukrainians in the long-term?— potentially be by the ukrainians in the long-term? we have seen in the last week that _ the long-term? we have seen in the last week that there _ the long-term? we have seen in the last week that there has _ the long-term? we have seen in the last week that there has been - the long-term? we have seen in the last week that there has been the i last week that there has been the abduction of two mayors. first it was the mayor of melitipol. in the south the first area of the crimean peninsula to come under russian control ukrainians say he was taken from his office where taken to new to resistance that he would not surrender. ukrainians that he was taken out forcibly with a bag over his aunt in the next day people on to the street of melitipol sake free the mayor, for the mayor and then yesterday we had reports again in a second mayor had been abducted and we hear from second mayor had been abducted and we hearfrom dimitri pass golf in moscow, the spokesman for the kremlin, sing men to cover cities if

mayors are resisting and residents are resisting and even when russian forces are on the streets and we have no doubt that people here will resist. of course russia has superiorfirepower, manpower, it superior firepower, manpower, it would superiorfirepower, manpower, it would overwhelm ukrainian army but the mantra of this war so far 19 days on is that russian forces were overestimated and ukrainian forces both civilians and soldiers were underestimated. i9 both civilians and soldiers were underestimated. 19 days is a very long time in war. it is also a very short time and war, and no one can say with any certainty how long this will go on and how this will all look in the end. find will go on and how this will all look in the end.— look in the end. and as this continues. _ look in the end. and as this continues, talks _ look in the end. and as this i continues, talks between the look in the end. and as this - continues, talks between the two sides do continue also. how much hope is there amongst people you've spoken to have any kind of diplomatic progress? the talks, recall nate _ diplomatic progress? the talks, recall nate first _ diplomatic progress? the talks, recall nate first began - diplomatic progress? the talks, recall nate first began were - diplomatic progress? the talks, - recall nate first began were greeted with great criticism but there have been for rounds already because of

the talks today were stopped and we were told for technical reasons and they will resume tomorrow. it's been noted and we have reported in the past few days how there has been a noticeable shift in language. ukrainian negotiators used to come out of those talks expressing regret, and they come out saying that they were constructive, they were positive. russian is on the previous ultimatums in both the russian and ukrainian negotiators spoke of something to sign within days. but is this alljust... there is an announcement about taking cover but we are fine, we are fine, just a nightly announcement to the people to want to do if something happens in the night. is thisjust another tactic to seen positive in the negotiations for russia, to seem constructive and then to continue the destructive actions on the ground? and the message we get from moscow, like the kremlin spokesman

today, saying that the war is going according to plan and it will continue within the approved timeframe. so different signals and even having any kind of positive signal is something that ukrainians hold onto it because quite frankly there is little to hold onto right now except the fact that they are still standing up. this now except the fact that they are still standing up.— still standing up. as always, stay safe and thank— still standing up. as always, stay safe and thank you _ still standing up. as always, stay safe and thank you once - still standing up. as always, stay safe and thank you once again. i one of the cities hardest hit by the russian bombardment is irpin. it lies about 25 kilometres north—west of kyiv. earlier, my colleague lucy hockings spoke to the city's mayor with the help of a translator in the studio. we have dubbed his answers into english for you. translation: the enemy is shelling our schools, - residential areas, private houses. they shelled the palace of culture, sports, schools, etc.

so, these are heavy, heavy shelling and bombardment going on. alexander, i understand that you yourself actually saw some people being killed. can you describe to us what you yourself have witnessed? translation: i was participating in evacuation of a column, - and there were around 100 people. that was the only safe place, the only safe place we could evacuate people through. and in front of me, there were 50 metres in front of me, there was a family with two kids, a husband and wife, and they were killed by a mine. unfortunately, these things are happening all the time, and they're shelling... they're shooting at peaceful civilians. we should just explain to our viewers that that picture, i understand we just saw,

is the mother who the mayor saw being killed in front of his very eyes. could you ask him now about those who need to escape, about whether it is actually possible to get out of irpin of irpin at the moment, if there is a corridor open for people who need to be evacuated? translation: we continue evacuating people, - and we have been doing this_ today and doing it on a daily basis. but there are between 5000—7000 residents who want to stay, and it's day 19 with them holding on and the situation continues. an evacuation convoy has managed to leave the key port of mariupol in the south of ukraine, which has been subjected to heavy russian bombardment. 160 cars were able to leave the city. it's been cut off from food, water and heating systems for more than two weeks. the city's authorities say that civilian deaths have risen above 2100 and mass graves have had to be dug. andrew harding reports from southern ukraine. a drone's—eye view of a city in agony, mariupol burning. apartment blocks in ruins after two

weeks of unrelenting russian bombardments. there is no drinking water and any medication. also, for today, there is nowhere we can find food. we saw people who died because of lack of medication. and there were a lot of such people inside mariupol who were killed or injured, and they're just lying on the ground. and today, we learnt that among the dead is the woman on the stretcher in this now infamous picture. it was taken in the immediate aftermath of a russian attack last week on a maternity hospital in mariupol. her name is not known. it's understood she begged medics to let her die, if that would help them save her unborn child. both died this weekend. as for the living, this was reportedly filmed yesterday

in a cellar in mariupol. "the planes are flying overhead," she says, "dropping bombs, scaring the children. please organise a humanitarian corridor to help our children escape." but so far, there is no safe passage out of mariupol. it's about two sides that need to come to the same terms. they need to find together an agreement. and if that doesn't happen? well, if that doesn't happen, knowing already how dire the situation is for the population inside the city, we can only be extremely concerned for the life of all those people. mariupol is a big, important city, and the russians need to capture it to help their advance here into southern ukraine. and their tactics are becoming brutally familiar. if you can't seize a city, then simply flatten it, whatever the cost in human lives.

and so, the pounding of mariupol goes on. a city of half a million people trapped in a nightmare. andrew harding, bbc news, in southern ukraine. as well as attacks on kyiv, irpin and mariupol, vladimir putin has brought the war right to the edges of the nato alliance. on sunday, russia targeted the military training base yavoriv with a barrage of cruise missiles. it's in the far west of ukraine, near the border with poland, which is a nato member. ukrainian officials said at least 35 people were killed and more than 130 others wounded. earlier, we heard from the secretary—general of the united nations. further escalation of the war, whether by accident or design, threatens all of humanity. raising the alert of russian nuclearforces is a bone—chilling development. the prospect of nuclear conflict,

once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility. here's analysis from our world affairs editorjohn simpson. i think we have to discriminate between the causes or the reasons for these different attacks. some are simply because the russian forces don't frankly care terribly much about civilian casualties and so on _ and so they'll fight, attack for instance that apartment building. but there are other things that they are doing. sometimes it's the infrastructure and sometimes it's the attack near the polish border that are done for a very precise and clear reasons. this is notjust some local commander pressing a button and saying, "i don't _

care where the shells go." this is... that was, of course, the one on the polish border done in order to give nato in general a warning, a warning particularly about bringing in weapons supplies to ukraine. it had its effect. it really had its effect on nato. no doubt about it, some nervousness in nato today that there wasn't a couple of days ago, and it's because they're not certain whether putin might actually really attack what would in fact be a nato convoy. a fourth round of negotiations between ukrainian and russian officials has been put on hold until tuesday. the talks between the two sides started in late february, with negotiating teams first meeting in person on the poland—belarus border. this latest round started on monday and is being held virtually, with the ukrainian officials attending from kyiv.

a ukrainian presidential adviser attending the talks tweeted... with each round, the language has turned more positive. we've seen temporary ceasefires finally agreed and used, and today hints of progress. going into monday, there was no movement on russia's demand that ukraine effectively surrenders its weapons and becomes neutral, nor on ukraine's demand that russia agree to a ceasefire and pull back its troops. but the negotiating team in kyiv was hopeful that moscow's stance has started to soften. translation: our proposals are on the table, and - they are very tough. first of all, they concernl the withdrawal of troops, the ceasefire, and so on.

in principle, we will not give up any of our positions. _ russia already understands this and is starting to - talk constructively. i think that we will come | to some concrete results in a few days. russian officials have also expressed optimism, with one official telling russian state media... it comes as one of vladimir putin's allies said the operator had not gone as lumber boudin had wanted. this operation, poorly prepared and executed, turned out to be a strategic and tactical failure. meanwhile, ukrainian officials continued their campaign to drum up international support. in kyiv, the foreign minister called for more assistance. weapons and sanctions. this is what the international community can do — weapons to ukraine,

sanctions against russia. mr kuleba had specific suggestions for the international community. when it comes to sanctions, disconnect russia from swift entirely, all russian banks must disconnected from swift. stop processing russian cargoes in ports. impose full ban on oil and gas and coal from russia. his call was answered by the eu foreign policy chief. they want to announce that we are finalising l the adoption of a fourth - strong package of sanctions, a new package of sanctions. mr borrell was in north macedonia holding meetings on enhancing security in the western balkans. he told reporters that moscow's invasion of ukraine was a moment to "reinvigorate the enlargement

process" of the eu, adding that the bloc should start formal accession talks with north macedonia and albania as soon as possible. the package of sanctions he announced will target russia's trade, market access and the export of luxury goods, among other things, specifically targeting steel, coal and energy sectors. separately, the eu commission president, ursula von der leyen, tweeted the eu would also be providing more financial aid to ukraine. but speaking to an extraordinary session of the council of europe assembly, the ukrainian prime minister demanded more action. translation: we must be harsher in our response. i we demand a decision to expel russia from the council of europe immediately. those who clearly support unprovoked and unjustified aggression have no

place in the united european family, where human life is the highest value. joining me now is sergey radchenko, professor atjohns hopkins university. let's talk about those talks. has there been any movement on talks between russia and ukraine? difficult to say at this moment. we can cling _ difficult to say at this moment. we can cling to— difficult to say at this moment. we can cling to a hope that some progress _ can cling to a hope that some progress will be achieved and indeed both sides _ progress will be achieved and indeed both sides have been positive in their_ both sides have been positive in their assessment but we have to recall_ their assessment but we have to recall that — their assessment but we have to recall that this brutal roar continues and russia is still expecting to make advance. they are still not _ expecting to make advance. they are still not renouncing their war aims, and they— still not renouncing their war aims, and they are — still not renouncing their war aims, and they are perhaps hoping that through— and they are perhaps hoping that through a — and they are perhaps hoping that through a show of military force and through— through a show of military force and through further brutality, they will force ukraine to compromise. we will have to _ force ukraine to compromise. we will have to wait _ force ukraine to compromise. we will have to wait and see, but some indications _ have to wait and see, but some indications have been positive. it indications have been positive. [11 is a indications have been positive. is a bit of a indications have been positive. it is a bit of a mixed message from russia. on the one hand, preparing

to attack the capitol and on the other hand talking about progress in talks. 50 other hand talking about progress in talks, ., other hand talking about progress in talks. ., ,, ., , ., talks. so what the russians have been doing _ talks. so what the russians have been doing here _ talks. so what the russians have been doing here is _ talks. so what the russians have been doing here is for _ talks. so what the russians have been doing here is for the - talks. so what the russians have been doing here is for the fact i talks. so what the russians have i been doing here is for the fact they are obviously by now expected to have _ are obviously by now expected to have been in kyiv but their blitzkrieg has failed, and so now they are — blitzkrieg has failed, and so now they are on the one hand intimating that they could escalate this war and those — that they could escalate this war and those strikes on a base in western— and those strikes on a base in western ukraine was one example of this was— western ukraine was one example of this was interesting indication the possibility of china supplying russia — possibility of china supplying russia. we note that this has been discussed — russia. we note that this has been discussed in recent days. so russia is certainly — discussed in recent days. so russia is certainly threatening escalation, and seems — is certainly threatening escalation, and seems to say we have the ability to do— and seems to say we have the ability to do so— and seems to say we have the ability to do so if— and seems to say we have the ability to do so if our demands are not met fulsome _ to do so if our demands are not met fulsome on— to do so if our demands are not met fulsome on the other hand, it is also _ fulsome on the other hand, it is also increasingly that it's both trying — also increasingly that it's both trying to— also increasingly that it's both trying to get out of the situation as soon— trying to get out of the situation as soon as — trying to get out of the situation as soon as possible. sol trying to get out of the situation as soon as possible. so i think there — as soon as possible. so i think there is— as soon as possible. so i think there is some scope or cover my eyes and i_ there is some scope or cover my eyes and i think— there is some scope or cover my eyes and i think that's what the ukrainian negotiators are hoping for.

ukrainian negotiators are hoping for~ 00— ukrainian negotiators are hoping for. , ., ~' ukrainian negotiators are hoping for. , ., ~ ., ., , ukrainian negotiators are hoping for. ~ ., ., , ., for. do you think fundamentally that the could for. do you think fundamentally that they could have _ for. do you think fundamentally that they could have a _ for. do you think fundamentally that they could have a dramatic- for. do you think fundamentally that they could have a dramatic off ramp| they could have a dramatic off ramp of the russians and if there were what they actually take it? conflict like this have _ what they actually take it? conflict like this have to _ what they actually take it? conflict like this have to have _ what they actually take it? conflict like this have to have a _ what they actually take it? conflict like this have to have a diplomatic| like this have to have a diplomatic off ramp _ like this have to have a diplomatic off ramp and nomadic negotiation that leads to diplomatic solution in the end _ that leads to diplomatic solution in the end it — that leads to diplomatic solution in the end it. russia can turn all of ukraine — the end it. russia can turn all of ukraine into aleppo and larimer boudin— ukraine into aleppo and larimer boudin is— ukraine into aleppo and larimer boudin is trying to indicate that he has got _ boudin is trying to indicate that he has got enough brutality to do that. but the _ has got enough brutality to do that. but the ukrainians have been resisting _ but the ukrainians have been resisting and russia has not accomplished its war aims. therefore the very— accomplished its war aims. therefore the very reality is forcing vladimir putin— the very reality is forcing vladimir putin to _ the very reality is forcing vladimir putin to compromise also on his aims and that— putin to compromise also on his aims and that allows for a possibility of some _ and that allows for a possibility of some sort— and that allows for a possibility of some sort of diplomatic solution, but i _ some sort of diplomatic solution, but i think— some sort of diplomatic solution, but i think it's too early to say right— but i think it's too early to say right at— but i think it's too early to say right at this moment what it might look like _ right at this moment what it might look like because both sides are still engaged in a very brutal war. good _ still engaged in a very brutal war. good to— still engaged in a very brutal war. good to talk to you, thank you very much for your input. he mentioned

the russia — china relationship and we will delve a little bit deeper into that in just a few minutes' time here on outside source so do stay with us on the beat beast —— bbc. hello. the aurora borealis lit up our northern skies last night, and tonight, with clearing skies, there's a chance of seeing the phenomenon again, particularly in northern scotland as the solar wind lights up our magnetosphere. so, let's have a look at the satellite picture. now, you can see clear skies recently across parts of central england, the south west as well. but this lump of cloud brought the rain initially to northern ireland, then scotland, then northern england and through the night, the skies will continue to clear. so, i think a good chance of catching that aurora further north where the skies clear, maybe across mainland scotland as well. there is a weather front approaching to the north—west. slighty milder here, but elsewhere, it's clear, cold and calm. temperatures will be around freezing or below in some towns and cities.

now, let's pick up on the weather front. it's a slow—moving weather front, so it's not really going to make much progress into western scotland or northern ireland through the course of the day. in fact, edinburgh's probably going to stay bright with some sunny spells. and elsewhere across england and wales, it should be a dry day. the highest temperatures in the south east up to around 16 degrees, but hull is expecting 1a—15 as well. now, this is the evening, and you can see that rain just about nudges into the central lowlands by the time we get to around about 7pm, 8pm, 9pm. now, here's wednesday's weather map, and weather fronts crossing the bulk of england and wales. it does look as though scotland and northern ireland will get away with a relatively bright day. at least in the morning it will be raining, but then come the afternoon, we'll se some sunshine developing first in the western isles, then northern ireland, then perhaps a little bit of brightness in glasgow as well. but as far as england and wales is concerned, most of the day it's going to be cloudy, and then the further south and east you are,

the wetter it's likely to be. quite heavy rain for a time at least in london. here, around 1a degrees, but colder in the north because that colder air has arrived from the northern climes. now, on thursday, another weather front moves across the northw wst of the uk. colder winds here, some wintry showers across the scottish hills, but to the south, we've got high pressure building, so it does mean the weather settles down thursday and friday into saturday and sunday. so, i think once we get wednesday out of the way with that rain, after that, the weather's looking fine and dry. bye— bye.

hello, i'm maryam moshiri. this is outside source. russia continues its bombardment of ukrainian cities and civilian casualties mount. two blocks of flats are bombed, killing at least three people. ukrainian boxer vladimir klitschko had this message for the world. this image is the truth of russian war against ukraine, putin's war against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol — a city under siege — and people without food, water and heating. after two weeks of shelling, authorities say some have been able to evacuate.

a pregnant woman wounded in russia's bombing of a maternity hospital there is reported to have died, along with her baby. us officials claim russia has asked china for military help. moscow denies it. beijing says it's "fake news". russia is continuing to bombard ukraine as it closes in on kyiv. residents and the military are making preparations as russian forces make gains and step up their attacks on the capital. at least one person died following a russian air strike on a block of flats in the obolon district in the north of the city. jeremy bowen has the latest from kyiv. the attack happened not long before dawn. it could have been worse for the residents, many had gone to the shelters. kyiv is feeling the pressure of the war much more sharply. "it's a tragedy, and he's an idiot," he said, meaning putin. "i ask the whole world

to help," said yelena, "to make these nonhumans disappear from our ukraine." survival can be about saving a few precious things, as well as a life. kyiv�*s defenders are trying to keep russian artillery out of range, but this was a missile, fired from further away and much harder to stop. they're also very powerful. the explosion took lives and destroyed more ukrainian homes. this is the nightmare for the city, more attacks like this. and, of course, they're vulnerable to missile strikes. but kyiv is big and it's sprawling, and the defenders have many advantages, which they're using. prayers aren't all they have. problems for the russians include

rivers — notjust the mighty dnipro running through kyiv, but its tributaries and large areas of marshland that can hold up and bog down armies. at their headquarters, the generals running kyiv�*s defence invited us to their war room. and they sounded confident, like their president. they're tracking the two main russian thrusts — from the east and from the north—west — which they say are being attacked and have barely moved. we've heard a lot about this russian, long russian convoy that was to the north—west of the city. what's happened to that? he answered, "that was a week ago. our military hit it, they moved a bit, but they never did anything that we felt in kyiv." what do you think the russians actually want to do with this city? do they want to come into the city and conquer it,

or do they want to encircle it? "maybe they want to encircle the city," he said, "but i don't think they have enough soldiers. and they understand that in kyiv, around 20,000 people have been given weapons and the city's fortified. an attack would cost them very large losses." as we were talking, another missile exploded not far from the first one. it might have been brought down by air defence. a trolleybus conductor was killed. ukrainian military success has surprised their friends and their enemies, but the russians have not turned anything like their full force on this capital city yet. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv. we're going to talk about the relationship between russia and china now — and what russia's invasion of ukraine means for that relationship — because there is another

story that's receiving a lot of attention today. it's been reported in multiple media outlets. and it's this — this is the washington post. unamed us officials told them... cnn reports that russia has asked china for military support, including drones, as well as economic assistance. and the financial times explains more, saying... it comes as us national security advisorjake sullivan meets china's foreign minister wang yi in rome. jake sullivan also commented on the reports. here's barbara plett usher. the white house has focused more on the issue of potential financial support from china to russia. jake sullivan has been very clear about that. he has said to china that there will be consequences if it tries to bail out russia by helping it to evade sanctions,

and that is certainly something that mr sullivan has been raising with his chinese counterpart who he's meeting in rome today. russia has denied it requested military assistance, as has china. it said the us was "spreading disinformation...with malicious intentions". here's one chinese analyst. i think someone is trying to sow some discord between russia and china and also try to drag china into this very unfortunate war in ukraine. china has good relations with russia on the one hand, but also has very good relations with ukraine. let's look at china and russia's relationship. after decades of hostility, the presidents of russia and china say they are now close. most recently, vladimir putin and xijinping met before the winter olympics in beijing. they released a joint statement, saying the "friendship between the two states has no limits". they agreed on policies.

china said it also "opposes further enlargement of nato" in that statement too. as the us director of national intelligence says... so what about ukraine? china hasn't given russia its full support — but avoided criticising moscow. china abstained on two un votes to condemn russia's invasion. and since the invasion, china has said this. translation: china's basic position on the ukraine issue _ is consistent and unequivocal. china always believes that all countries' sovereigntyl and territorial integrity should be respected and the international. disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance - with the purposes and principles of the un charter. _ china has said it supports ukraine's sovereignty. and speaking last week, cia director williamj burns said he thought "the chinese leadership are a little bit unsettled by what they're seeing in ukraine." this us analyst agrees.

china is very worried that this has developed in a way that it had not anticipated and china is not prepared for and china is being criticised as an enabler of the conflict. and is really seen as having gotten very, very close to russia. and i think that china will pay costs if it continues to lean so heavily toward moscow. russia hopes china's position will change. here'sjenny hill. moscow is rather hoping that it will have 90 _ moscow is rather hoping that it will have 90 support, particularly economically. over the weekend we heard _ economically. over the weekend we heard from — economically. over the weekend we heard from the finance minister here, _ heard from the finance minister here, who — heard from the finance minister here, who said half of russia's reserves — here, who said half of russia's reserves have now been frozen due to sanctions. _ reserves have now been frozen due to sanctions, but he did also say that some _ sanctions, but he did also say that some of— sanctions, but he did also say that some of those reserves are in chinese — some of those reserves are in chinese currency, psychic there is the hope — chinese currency, psychic there is the hope that china might voice some

support— the hope that china might voice some support politically, economically or perhaps— support politically, economically or perhaps otherwise, and it has yet really _ perhaps otherwise, and it has yet really to — perhaps otherwise, and it has yet really to do so —— so i think there is data _ really to do so —— so i think there is data help _ really to do so —— so i think there is data help. rather sitting on the fence. _ is data help. rather sitting on the fence. you — is data help. rather sitting on the fence, you could put it. joining me now is the bbc chinese service editor, howard zhang. howard, how much more do we know about the potential truth behind these us claims? i about the potential truth behind these us claims?— these us claims? i think we at least, these us claims? i think we at least. from — these us claims? i think we at least, from an _ these us claims? i think we at least, from an observer- these us claims? i think we at least, from an observer pointl these us claims? i think we at. least, from an observer point of view, can see so far in this conflict every prediction or every information coming out of the us government so far has been true, whether it was the prediction that russia was about to invade or the information on when russia was going to move towards which direction, so so far, that information has been proved true, so now we're looking at, again, a us official leaking the major news organisations, stating that russia has requested military

aid from china, so this we have to give it benefit of doubt based on the track record so far.— the track record so far. howard, if russia were _ the track record so far. howard, if russia were to _ the track record so far. howard, if russia were to get _ the track record so far. howard, if russia were to get military - the track record so far. howard, if russia were to get military help . russia were to get military help from china, what would it be getting? from china, what would it be caettin ? ~ , , getting? thinking very interesting military exercise _ getting? thinking very interesting military exercise to _ getting? thinking very interesting military exercise to look - getting? thinking very interesting military exercise to look at - getting? thinking very interesting l military exercise to look at between russia and china, back in last august, at the height of the pandemic, if you listen to the chinese state media, at that time, broadcasting 10,000 soldiers exercising saturated bombing, cluster drone attacks and armoured columns, concentrated directional attacks, those things sound familiar. if they do, those are possibly the things russians will be looking at, because that is almost what we are seeing on television from a day—to—day basis, and the chinese are known to be leaders and

some of the categories of drones they produce, so when cnn mentioned it could be russians requesting drones, that's a high possibility. howard, how much appetite is there within the chinese government to take on the west with russia? the ideal logical _ take on the west with russia? tue: ideal logical bind take on the west with russia? tta: ideal logical bind is take on the west with russia? "tta: ideal logical bind is there, take on the west with russia? tta: ideal logical bind is there, both china and russia see themselves as victims of the current world order, they see themselves as unfairly disseminated against either the us and sees the us and nato is a threat —— discriminated against. because of this common perception that the west is threatening their regime and their hold on power, to use one of their hold on power, to use one of the chinese general terms, russia and china was trying to have each other�*s back. that was from last year, when the two defence ministers of russia and china signed a

five—year treaty or agreement, to expand military cooperation. five-year treaty or agreement, to expand military cooperation. howard, what is the chinese _ expand military cooperation. howard, what is the chinese state _ expand military cooperation. howard, what is the chinese state media - what is the chinese state media saying? are they calling it a war, for example?— saying? are they calling it a war, for examle? ., , ., , . for example? lately, the word such as war and — for example? lately, the word such as war and conflict _ for example? lately, the word such as war and conflict start _ for example? lately, the word such as war and conflict start to - for example? lately, the word such as war and conflict start to come i as war and conflict start to come out of chinese state media, but for the first week or longer, the only term you hear is the ukraine situation, but lately we start to hear conflict and war, but very much still the overall rhetoric is along the line of moscow's propaganda line, that this is a special military operation and the russian military operation and the russian military are using utmost restraint on civilians and trying to avoid civilian targets and pinpointing what they called the extreme nationalists in ukraine and trying to demilitarised the ukrainian nationalists. that's still the line from the chinese state media. howard

zhan: , from the chinese state media. howard zhang. thank— from the chinese state media. howard zhang. thank you _ from the chinese state media. howard zhang, thank you very _ from the chinese state media. howard zhang, thank you very much. - the toll of russian aggression on the population in ukraine is clear — and a vast number have fled the country in the less than three weeks of the war. 2.8 million people have now escaped from ukraine, most of them women and children. poland has taken the vast majority, and the population of the capital warsaw has increased by 15%. our europe editor katya adler now reports on how life in warsaw has changed. this is europe's biggest refugee crisis since world war ii, and poland is very much on the front line. nearly 3 million ukrainians have so far fled their country. more arrive here every day, and most stay put here, in poland. it's still close to home, if not close enough. translation: i didn't want to leave, | but my parents live here in warsaw. | they begged me to bring my son to safety. we left his dad behind,

fighting for ukraine. train by train, bus by bus, waves of refugees make their way to warsaw, but the army of polish volunteers that opened hearts and homes over the last two weeks say they're now close to breaking point. "we can't any more," adriana told me. "it's time for the authorities to get organised." refugee centres are beginning to appear in the polish capital. the eu has promised funds. not enough, says warsaw's mayor. the number of inhabitants of my city increased by 15% and we are doing everything we can to help but, slowly, we're becoming overwhelmed. we need a european and international response. all the west says it wants to help ukrainians, but it's neighbouring poland that feels like a first responder, very much in the eye of the storm. and on two fronts. this ever—growing influx of refugees seeking safety and an ever—growing concern amongst poles that russia's aggression in ukraine could spread

here over the border. by accident, or by design, this weekend, russia bombed this ukrainian military base ten minutes' drive from poland. warsaw has warned the west for years the kremlin hoped to change the balance of power in europe. today, the polish prime minister said ukrainians were fighting on behalf of their european neighbours. translation: what vladimir putin is doing in ukraine is part _ of a geopolitical plan. we have to help ukrainians because they are fighting for ourfreedom, too. for warsaw pensioner krystyna, ukrainian refugees bring back childhood memories of war and then soviet occupation. she and her friends are making ukrainian flag ribbons. "we're too poor to give money, too old to hold a gun," she told me, "but we're helping where we can. we're scared for our own future, too."

katya adler, bbc news, warsaw. here in the uk, 20,000 people have signed up to host ukrainian refugees since a government scheme was announced earlier today. all hosts will need to undergo vetting checks and register on a government website. in return, hosts will receive £350 a month — that's around 460 dollars — to take in refugees escaping the fighting for at least six months. here's our home editor mark easton. with open arms. britain is being encouraged to open its arms to tens of thousands of ukrainians. celebrities and politicians among those who say they would like to sponsor those fleeing the war, inviting them into their homes until the refugees can return to their motherland. . .open arms. the government wants to tap into the wave of public support for ukraine... thank you, see you soon. ..getting individuals and organisations to look after refugees rather than setting up a state—run humanitarian route.

horn sounds there will be no limit to the number of ukrainians who can— benefit from this scheme. the scheme will be open to all. ukrainian nationals and residents. they will be able to live and work in the united kingdom _ for up to three years. they will have full and unrestricted access to benefits, health care, . employment and other support. the challenge is setting up a scheme that ensures the safety and well—being of highly vulnerable refugees while not requiring sponsors to go through too many hoops. if you'd like to house a ukrainian, you must agree to take someone for a minimum of six months, apply online via the government website, identify a named person you wish to bring to britain, satisfy your local authority y°ur property is suitable, and undergo security and safeguarding checks. what we've seen today is the government playing catch up with the breadth of appetite across british society to make sure we make a generous offer of sanctuary and that the public

are ready, willing and waiting to play their own part in doing that when we see the scenes on the news. we've had hundreds of people respond, got nearly 1000 offers of beds around the country. this charity aims to link the welcoming with the welcomed, but the organisers warn that finding the right match is not always straightforward. you got people coming in who've got various needs. they might have school needs, they might have medical care needs. and you've got people who have accommodation, but they haven't got it between the months ofjuly and august or they have got it available and they've got children coming back from university, so there's going to be quite a lot of complexity, i think _ for some, support for ukraine means direct action. protesters occupied russian oligarch oleg deripaska's mansion in london's exclusive belgrave square today. the ukrainian flag hung from a window until right police moved in. people want to do something, to send a message to the kremlin and support the people of ukraine, but the question is how to turn goodwill into useful support?

the community sponsorship scheme set up amid the syrian crisis only helped around 500 refugees in five years. the ambition is much greater this time, and there is undoubted enthusiasm for a scheme that awakens civil society and shows solidarity with ukraine, but whether it can respond adequately to the emergency unfolding across europe remains an open question. mark easton, bbc news. we have a bit of breaking news for you. ijust want we have a bit of breaking news for you. i just want to show you this clip of a woman running onto the set of tv news in russia. the second most popular tv station. the poster the young one was holding

said open with no war" in english, and... the poster also showed ukrainian and russian flags. the woman shouted, stop the war, know the war. they cut away very quickly and the woman was removed from set. —— no to war. some other news — china's government has ordered a province of 2a million people into lockdown as it tries to contain a covid—19 outbreak that has spread to multiple locations. authorities reported 1&37 new cases across the country. just under 900 cases were found injilin province, which was put under lockdown measures. people living in the province have been banned from moving around, and anyone wanting to leave the province must apply for permission from police. restrictions were already in place in two cities, jilin and changchun.

here is china media analyst kerry allen. it is as big as early on in the pandemic, talking back in 2020, during the wuhan outbreak. the number of cases today, the number of domestic cases in china, is over 1000. and the majority of these are injilin province, and i was looking at statistics given by the national health commission on this province last week, they were a6, they were around the a0 mark, and they have now really reached 1000, and they are largely in two cities, in a city calledjilin, the are largely in two cities, in a city called jilin, the same as the province, and also changchun. massive outbreak which means the entire province is under lockdown. how strict is china, in terms of its zero coping strategy? is extremely strict. —— zero covid? tt zero coping strategy? is extremely strict. -- zero covid?— strict. -- zero covid? if there is even a single — strict. -- zero covid? if there is even a single systematic -

strict. -- zero covid? if there is even a single systematic case l strict. -- zero covid? if there is i even a single systematic case of, 19, the entire community locks down, so the fact there are huge number of cases in this province, it is very significant. but there is a large—scale outbreak, i would say notjust injilin but in china as a whole at the moment. over the last week, there have been huge cases appearing in hong kong, and this has spilt over into the mainland. we sought shenzhen imposing a major lockdown. restrictions in shanghai being imposed as well as the betty moment, they are not citywide sanctions, but they affect hundred people, potentially thousands. what people, potentially thousands. what kind of impact _ people, potentially thousands. what kind of impact does _ people, potentially thousands. what kind of impact does this have going forward on the supply chain in china, in particular the way impacts businesses across the country? tt businesses across the country? tit has a huge impact. it is the case in china that if these committees lockdown, people can't even go to

the shops to get supplies. people are literally confined to their homes, and that means people cannot get to work, it means that businesses, if cases are detected in businesses, if cases are detected in businesses, the entire business goes down. if there is one case an entire factory, it means that entire factory, it means that entire factory closes, so there's a huge knock on effect. cases at the moment are in 16 of china's 31 regions, and i could have an impact notjust on china's domestic economy but on the international economy, because people won't be working. what international economy, because people won't be working. what has been the reaction _ people won't be working. what has been the reaction in _ people won't be working. what has been the reaction in china - people won't be working. what has been the reaction in china of- people won't be working. what has been the reaction in china of all. people won't be working. what has been the reaction in china of all of| been the reaction in china of all of the strict rules within the country? one of the things that happens, we've seen this with previous outbreaks, is that state media, leading media, what they will try to do is they will try to emphasise positive stories, so they will run lots of stories to do with volunteers and epidemic mentioned workers trying to make people's lives as peaceful as possible. and

also we have to consider that china's social media environment is very heavily state restricted, there's a lot of censorship, and you've also got nationalists who are paid by the government to promote positive messages. prince charles has represented the queen this afternoon at the annual commonwealth day service at westminster abbey. it's the first time the queen has missed the event in almost a decade. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. it has been one of the abiding themes of her reign. the commonwealth of nations, representing nearly one third of the world's population, and a fifth of its land area. but now, after 70 years of the queen's reign, it's time for others to take the lead. the simple fact is that the long walk up the aisle of westminster abbey is too much for a monarch who is nearly 96. the congregation was transported to different commonwealth cultures. it was reminded of today's story taking place on the boundaries of this continent.

at this very moment, ukraine risks being pulverised. but above all, this was the commonwealth paying tribute to the person who today was absent, but who has done so much to keep it together. long live the queen! amen. hip, hip, hip! hurray! today's cheers were unscripted. and in two weeks, there will be another heartfelt occasion, a service of thanksgiving for the life of the duke of edinburgh. the queen will hope to be there. nicholas witchell, bbc news. we will bring you the very latest on what is happening in ukraine at the top of the hour on bbc news, so do stay with us. 20 more on our

website, but for me and the outside source team, thanks for watching. backin source team, thanks for watching. back in a moment. hello. the aurora borealis lit up our northern skies last night, and tonight, with clearing skies, there's a chance of seeing the phenomenon again, particularly in northern scotland as the solar wind lights up our magnetosphere. so, let's have a look at the satellite picture. now, you can see clear skies recently across parts of central england, the south west as well. but this lump of cloud brought the rain initially to northern ireland, then scotland, then northern england and through the night, the skies will continue to clear. so, i think a good chance of catching that aurora further north where the skies clear, maybe across mainland scotland as well. there is a weather front

approaching to the north—west. slighty milder here, but elsewhere, where it's clear, cold and calm, temperatures will be around freezing or below in some towns and cities. now, let's pick up on the weather front. it's a slow—moving weather front, so it's not really going to make much progress into western scotland or northern ireland through the course of the day. in fact, edinburgh's probably going to stay bright with some sunny spells. and elsewhere across england and wales, it should be a dry day. the highest temperatures in the south east up to around 16 degrees, but hull is expecting 1a—15 as well. now, this is the evening, and you can see that rain just about nudges into the central lowlands by the time we get to around about 7pm, 8pm, 9pm. now, here's wednesday's weather map, and weather fronts crossing the bulk of england and wales. it does look as though scotland and northern ireland will get away with a relatively bright day. at least in the morning it will be raining, but then come the afternoon, we'll see some sunshine developing first in the western isles, then northern ireland, then perhaps a little bit of brightness in glasgow as well. but as far as england and wales is concerned, most of the day it's going to be cloudy, and then the further south and east you are,

the wetter it's likely to be. quite heavy rain for a time at least in london. here, around 1a degrees, but colder in the north because that colder air has arrived from the northern climes. now, on thursday, another weather front moves across the north west of the uk. colder winds here, even some wintry showers across the scottish hills, but to the south, we've got high pressure building, so it does mean the weather settles down thursday and friday and into saturday and sunday. so, i think once we get wednesday out of the way with that rain, after that, the weather's looking fine and dry.

hello, this is outside source. civilian casualties mount. two blocks of flats are bombed, killing three people. the ukrainian boxer vladimir klitschko had this message. this image is the truth of russian war against this image is the truth of russian waragainst ukraine, this image is the truth of russian war against ukraine, putin's war against ukraine.— war against ukraine, putin's war against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol. _ against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol. a _ against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol, a city _ against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol, a city under- against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol, a city under siege, i in mariupol, a city under siege, people without food, heating and water. authorities say some have been able to evacuate. a pregnant woman wounded in pressure per mac bombing of a maternity hospital is

reported to have died, along with her baby. and an anti—war protester interacts prime—time news on russian state tv denouncing the war in ukraine. us officials claim russia has asked china for military help. moscow denies it. there's been no let—up in fighting across many regions of ukraine. russia has continued its bombardment as it closes in on kyiv. in the capital russia bombed a block of flats — killing two people and injuring several more. residents were rescued from the building as fire took hold. it happened in the north west of the city that's where the most intense fighting is happening.

this man described what he saw. translation: we hid inside the closet, translation: we hid inside the closet. and _ translation: we hid inside the closet, and we _ translation: we hid inside the closet, and we thought - translation: we hid inside the closet, and we thought the - translation: we hid inside the . closet, and we thought the russians were coming, but we were wrong, we got out, and the staircase wasn't there any more, and everything was on fire. and kyiv�*s east has been under attack too. mayor vitali klitschko and his brother wladimir visited this apartment block which was bombed last night. this is a message wladimir recorded at the scene. this is the truth of the war against ukraine, lives are getting lost. this is the war that russia started. this is the war that russia started. this is the city of kyiv and many cities in ukraine were destroyed and lives were taken. that is the truth. this image is the truth of russian war against ukraine. putin's war

against ukraine. that is what it looks like. this is where russian troops are closing in on the capital. dozens more have died on its outskirts — after there was reportedly an attempt by russian forces to cut off supplies. but the reuters news agency carries a quote from the chief of russia's national guard saying... this is the strongest acknowledgment yet that the invasion is not going to plan. meanwhile, kyiv�*s residents are preparing the inner city. this is a street in north—west kyiv. you can see what it looked like before, and now, after residents blockaded it. ukraine's president zelensky has been posting regular video updates. zelensky has been posting here's some of his latest address from the streets of kyiv. translation: wishing you good health, translation: wishing you good health. dear— translation: wishing you good health, dear ukrainians. - translation: wishing you good health, dear ukrainians. and - translation: wishing you good | health, dear ukrainians. and good weather, which we hardly notice

these days. clear sky, we don't have over kyiv, and over kyiv and other cities, because of missile strikes. the streets are quiet but i know and hope that this is not for ever. this is what we are fighting for and we are not giving away what is ours. some kyiv residents are still sheltering underground. here's our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. when russia invaded ukraine on february 2ath, metro stations like this deep underground immediately became bomb shelters. they were built in the 19605 for this kind of purpose. the first day, this was absolutely packed. some 700 people spent the night here. and now, last night, there were only 80. people have either left kyiv or found shelter elsewhere. but as russian forces slowly move

closer to the capital, what kind of preparations are they making here? svetlana is in charge in this station. translation: we are ready to host all people who want to come here. | we can host 1,300 people. this is the capacity of our station or even maybe more if needed. maya has been living here since the invasion began. do you think you will stay in kyiv? we hear reports that russians are coming closer to the city. translation: we plan to stay. i don't know where to go. i don't want to leave. here is my house, my home. i was born here. where am i supposed to go? i'm so sorry.

preparing for a possible siege and shelling, they call this a humanitarian hub. food supplies to feed a city including tonnes of potatoes. this is kyiv, kitted out for war. lyse doucet, bbc news, kyiv. earlier i spoke to lyse live from kyiv. she told me more about the people who have stayed behind. when are people who are still left in this city see what is happening elsewhere in the country, of course they think it is just a matter of time, before we also have to live under incessant shelling right in the heart of this capital, living with the effects of a siege, running out of food and water, and we heard last week from the mayor vitali klitschko, that nearly 2 million people have already left the city and of course it is understandable,

but when you drive through the streets you see people who are walking, usually not many, and many of them are elderly, not all of them, but quite a few. like the woman we met in the metro station, she said, how can i go, this is my home, i don't know any other home, and my husband is buried close by, they say, and they have already lived through so much. they think about the life on the run as a refugee and it is much better to stay here and stay underground. everybody is hoping against hope that it doesn't come to this but when it comes to a war like this there is the military fortifications and the sandbags on the streets and the soldiers and civilians who have taken up arms but also this, the resilience of spirit, people bedding down, stocking up their supplies for what could be a very long and very painful time. what could be a very long and very painful time-— painful time. how strong do you think the resistance _ painful time. how strong do you think the resistance could - painful time. how strong do you think the resistance could be . painful time. how strong do you l think the resistance could be from the ukrainians in the long—term? irate

the ukrainians in the long-term? we have the ukrainians in the long—term? - have seen in the last week that there has been the abduction of two mayors, first of all the mayor of melitopol, the ukrainians say he was taken from his office, where he continued to resist and he said he would not surrender. ukrainians say he was taken out forcibly, with a bag over his head, and the next day people went on to the streets of melitopol saying free the mayor and yesterday we had reports that a second mayor had been abducted and we heard from a kremlin spokesperson in moscow who said we may have to take over cities, but the mayors are resisting and the people are resisting, even when russian forces on the streets, so we have no doubt that people here will resist. of course, russia has superior manpower and firepower and they could

overwhelm the ukrainian army but the mantra of this war so far is that the russian forces were overestimated and the ukrainian forces, soldiers and civilians, they were underestimated. 19 days is a long time in war and also a short time in warand long time in war and also a short time in war and no one can say with any certainty how long this will go on and how this will all look in the end. this on and how this will all look in the end. �* , , .., , on and how this will all look in the end. , ., end. as this continues, talks between _ end. as this continues, talks between the _ end. as this continues, talks between the sides _ end. as this continues, talks between the sides continue, | end. as this continues, talks i between the sides continue, so end. as this continues, talks - between the sides continue, so how much hope is there amongst people you have spoken to of any kind of diplomatic progress? the you have spoken to of any kind of diplomatic progress?— you have spoken to of any kind of diplomatic progress? the talks were ureeted diplomatic progress? the talks were greeted with — diplomatic progress? the talks were greeted with great _ diplomatic progress? the talks were greeted with great scepticism - diplomatic progress? the talks were greeted with great scepticism but i greeted with great scepticism but there has been four rounds today and they will start again tomorrow. it has been noted that there has been a noticeable shift in language and ukrainian negotiators used to come

out of the talks expressing regret but now they say they were constructive and positive and russia is no longer giving ultimatums, and the russian and ukrainian negotiators both spoke of something to sign within days, but is this all just... sorry, there is an announcement about taking cover, but i think we are fine, just a nightly announcement to tell people what to do if something happens in the night. is thisjust do if something happens in the night. is this just another tactic to seem positive in the negotiations for russia? and then to continue the destructive actions on the ground. the message from moscow, like the kremlin spokesperson today, saying that war is going according to plan, and it will continue within the approved time frame, so different signals but even having any kind of a positive signal is something that ukrainians hold onto because quite

frankly there is little to hold onto right now apart from the fact they are still standing up. one of the cities hardest hit by the russian bombardment is irpin. it lies about 25 kilometres north—west of the kyiv. earlier, my colleague lucy hockings spoke to the city's mayor with the help of a translator in the studio. we have dubbed his answers into english for you. translation: the enemy is shelling our schools, i residential areas, private houses. they shelled the palace of culture, sports, schools, etc. so, these are heavy, heavy shelling and bombardment going on. oleksandr, i understand that you yourself actually saw some people being killed. can you describe to us what you yourself have witnessed? translation: i was participating in evacuation of a column, i and there were around 100 people.

that was the only safe place, the only safe place we could evacuate people through. and in front of me, they were 50 metres in front of me, there was a family with two kids, a husband and wife, and they were killed by a mine. unfortunately, these things are happening all the time, and they're shelling... they're shooting at peaceful civilians. we should just explain to our viewers that that picture, i understand, wejust saw, is the mother who the mayor saw being killed in front of his very eyes. could you ask him now about those who need to escape, about whether it is actually possible to get out of irpin at the moment, if there is a corridor open for people who need to be evacuated? translation: we continue evacuating people, - and we have been doing this today and doing it on a daily basis. but there are between 5000—7000 residents who want to stay,

and it's day 19 with them holding on and the situation continues. an evacuation convoy has managed to leave the key port of mariupol in the south of ukraine, which has been subjected to heavy russian bombardment. 160 cars were able to leave the city — it's been cut off from food, water and heating systems for more than two weeks. the city's authorities say that civilian deaths have risen above 2,100 and mass graves have had to be dug. andrew harding reports from southern ukraine. a drone's—eye view of a city in agony, mariupol burning. apartment blocks in ruins after two weeks of unrelenting russian bombardments. there is no drinking water and any medication. also, for today, there is nowhere we can find food. we saw people who died because of lack of medication.

and there were a lot of such people inside mariupol who were killed or injured, and they're just lying on the ground. and today, we learnt that among the dead is the woman on the stretcher in this now infamous picture. it was taken in the immediate aftermath of a russian attack last week on a maternity hospital in mariupol. her name is not known. it's understood she begged medics to let her die if that would help them save her unborn child. both died this weekend. as for the living, this was reportedly filmed yesterday in a cellar in mariupol. "the planes are flying overhead," she says, "dropping bombs, scaring the children. please organise a humanitarian corridor to help our children escape." but so far, there is no safe

passage out of mariupol. it's about two sides that need to come to the same terms. they need to find together an agreement. and if that doesn't happen? well, if that doesn't happen, knowing already how dire the situation is for the population inside the city, we can only be extremely concerned for the life of all those people. mariupol is a big, important city, and the russians need to capture it to help their advance here into southern ukraine. and their tactics are becoming brutally familiar. if you can't seize a city, then simply flatten it, whatever the cost in human lives. and so the pounding of mariupol goes on. a city of half a million people trapped in a nightmare. andrew harding, bbc news, in southern ukraine. as well as attacks on kyiv, irpin and mariupol, vladimir putin

has brought the war right to the edges of the nato alliance. on sunday russia targeted the military training base yavoriv with a barrage of cruise missiles. it's in the far west of ukraine, near the border with poland, which is a nato member. ukrainian officials said at least 35 people were killed and more than 130 others wounded. earlier, we heard from the secretary—general of the united nations. further escalation of the war, whether by accident or design, threatens all of humanity. raising the alert of russian nuclear forces is a bone—chilling development. the prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility. here's analysis from our world affairs editorjohn simpson. i think we have to discriminate between the causes or the reasons for these different attacks.

some are simply because the russian forces don't frankly care terribly much about civilian casualties and so on. and so they'll fight, attack for instance that apartment building. but there are other things that they are doing, sometimes it's the infrastructure and sometimes it's the attack near the polish border, that are done for very precise and clear reasons. this is notjust some local commander pressing a button and saying, "i don't care where the shells go." that was, of course, the one on the polish border done in order to give nato in general a warning, a warning particularly about bringing in weapons, supplies to ukraine. it's had its effect. it really had its effect on nato. no doubt about it, some nervousness

in nato today that there wasn't a couple of days ago, and it's because they're not certain whether putin might actually really attack what would in fact be a nato convoy. as we heard earlierfrom lyse, a fourth round of negotiations between ukrainian and russian officials has started. the talks between the two sides started in late february, with negotiating teams first meeting in person on the poland—belarus border. this latest round started on monday and is being held virtually, with the ukrainian officials attending from kyiv. the talks were put on hold until tuesday — a ukrainian presidential adviser taking part tweeted... with each round, the language has turned more positive.

we've seen temporary ceasefires finally agreed and used, and today hints of progress. going into monday, there was no movement on the kremlin's demand that ukraine effectively surrenders its weapons and becomes neutral, nor on ukraine's demand that russia agree to a ceasefire and pull back its troops. but the negotiating team in kyiv was hopeful that moscow's stance has started to soften. translation: our proposals are on the table, and - they are very tough. first of all, they concernl the withdrawal of troops, the ceasefire. in principle, we will not give up any of our positions. _ russia already understands this and is starting to i talk constructively. i think that we will come | to some concrete results in a few days. russian officials have also expressed optimism, with one official telling state media...

it comes as one of president vladimir putin's closest allies said that russia's military operation in ukraine had not all gone as quickly as the kremlin had wanted. speaking to the un on monday, the polish foreign minister said this. this operation, poorly prepared and executed, turned out to be a strategic and tactical failure. meanwhile, ukrainian officials are continuing the campaign to drum up support for their country. here's the country's foreign minister. weapons and sanctions. this is what the international community can do. weapons to ukraine, sanctions against russia. mr kuleba had specific suggestions for the international community. when it comes to sanctions, disconnect russia from swift entirely, all russian banks must

disconnected from swift. stop processing russian cargoes in ports. impose full ban on oil and gas and coalfrom russia. his call was answered by the eu foreign policy chief. we are finalising the adoption of a fourth strong package of sanctions. i want to show you this clip of a woman running onto the set of russia's prime—time news bulletin. the poster said no war in english

and then in russian, they are lying to you here. the poster also showed ukrainian and russian flags and woman also shouted, stop the war, no to war. they cut away very quickly. we can speak to howard at the russian desk, this is a risky move for her? , , ., russian desk, this is a risky move for her? , ., , for her? hugely risky and she will to for her? hugely risky and she will no to “ail, for her? hugely risky and she will go to jail, no doubt about - for her? hugely risky and she will go to jail, no doubt about it. i for her? hugely risky and she will go to jail, no doubt about it. just| go to jail, no doubt about it. just to make any kind of opposition at all, even on the street, is dangerous enough these days, but to do that, when you are working for state media, that is enormously risky. state media, that is enormously ris . ~ ., state media, that is enormously ris .~ ., ., ., «a, risky. what more do we know about her? we know _ risky. what more do we know about her? we know her— risky. what more do we know about her? we know her name _ risky. what more do we know about her? we know her name and i risky. what more do we know about her? we know her name and we i risky. what more do we know about i her? we know her name and we know, i have 'ust her? we know her name and we know, i have just been — her? we know her name and we know, i have just been told _ her? we know her name and we know, i have just been told by _ her? we know her name and we know, i have just been told by a _ her? we know her name and we know, i have just been told by a friend, - have just been told by a friend, that she has two children, so the

risks for her are obviously enormous. risks for her are obviously enormous-— risks for her are obviously enormous. . . , , ., ~ enormous. the channel she is working for, a enormous. the channel she is working for. a hugely — enormous. the channel she is working for. a hugely popular— enormous. the channel she is working for, a hugely popular channel- enormous. the channel she is working for, a hugely popular channel in i for, a hugely popular channel in russia, the second most popular, so a lot of viewers?— a lot of viewers? absolutely. by some calculations _ a lot of viewers? absolutely. by some calculations it _ a lot of viewers? absolutely. by some calculations it is - a lot of viewers? absolutely. by some calculations it is the i a lot of viewers? absolutely. by some calculations it is the mosti some calculations it is the most popular channel. an enormous amount of viewers because this was the prime time news and this will have been seen by tens of millions of people and it has already become a huge event because i phoned a friend after it happened and she immediately knew what i was phoning about and she burst out laughing. there is a feeling it is being talked about within russia on social media, whatever social media they have? , , ., ., ., have? this will be dominating social media today — have? this will be dominating social media today and _ have? this will be dominating social media today and tomorrow - have? this will be dominating social media today and tomorrow and i media today and tomorrow and probably all day, this is huge and there has never been anything like this that i can remember. haifa this that i can remember. how different is— this that i can remember. how different is her— this that i can remember. how different is her message i this that i can remember. how different is her message to the message being propagated by russian state media itself? she uses the

words war which in itself is not legal. words war which in itself is not leual. �* , ,., , words war which in itself is not leual. n, , ,, ., ,., legal. absolutely. the russian state media is sticking _ legal. absolutely. the russian state media is sticking to _ legal. absolutely. the russian state media is sticking to the _ legal. absolutely. the russian state media is sticking to the scripted i media is sticking to the scripted term, special operation, no mention of war, and state media has been running adverts on its rolling news channels showing various vips saying they stick with russia and they are behind our boys, and all the time the tv channels have been talking about an operation against neofascists and nationalists and there has been virtually no recognition that this is a war between two countries, so this is absolutely enormous.— between two countries, so this is absolutely enormous. there is a huge amount of censorship _ absolutely enormous. there is a huge amount of censorship in _ absolutely enormous. there is a huge amount of censorship in russia i absolutely enormous. there is a huge amount of censorship in russia and i amount of censorship in russia and you can't even hold up a sign on the street for more than a second before the police come and take you away? absolutely. it has been total. all the street protests against the war

have been quickly suppressed, even if they are one—man or somebody holding up a poster and i saw some protests on youtube today outside red square where there was a journalist trying to talk to people protesting but they did not even get the chance to ask what the protest was about before the police jumped on them and drag them away. we don't know what is — on them and drag them away. we don't know what is happening _ on them and drag them away. we don't know what is happening to _ on them and drag them away. we don't know what is happening to the - know what is happening to the journalist, but we can assume that she is probably going to be taken by the police force to prison and be questioned, so what is the potential punishment for a person who does what she has done? in punishment for a person who does what she has done?— punishment for a person who does what she has done? in theory, she could be prosecuted _ what she has done? in theory, she could be prosecuted under - what she has done? in theory, she could be prosecuted under a i what she has done? in theory, she could be prosecuted under a new. what she has done? in theory, she i could be prosecuted under a new law that has just been passed which says this information about the armed forces is punishable by a term of up to five years and another law that has recently been passed that makes dissemination of fake news punishable by up to 15 years, so if the authorities interpret it in that

way, she could be doing 15 years. it way, she could be doing 15 years. it is good to talk way, she could be doing 15 years. [it is -ood to talk to you, way, she could be doing 15 years. [it is good to talk way, she could be doing 15 years. [it is -ood to talk to you, howard. is good to talk to you, howard. thanks forjoining us. i am back in a few minutes. do stay with us on bbc news. hello. tonight with clearing skies there's the chance of seeing the aurora borealis again, especially in northern scotland, as the solar wind lights up the atmosphere. this is the satellite picture, clear skies over parts of central england and the south—west as well but this cloud brought me rain initially to northern ireland and then and then northern england and the skies will clear through the night, so a good chance of catching the aurora further north, may be in mainland scotland, as well. where the front approaching to the north—west are milder here, but elsewhere it is clear and cold and calm —— weather

front approaching. let's have a look at the weather front, it is a slow—moving one, so it won't make much progress into western scotland or northern ireland through the course of the day and edinburgh will probably stay bright with some sunny spells and elsewhere across england and wales should be a dry day with the highest temperatures in the south—east, up to around 16. hull is also expecting 1a—15. you can see the rain in the central lowlands by the rain in the central lowlands by the time we get to around seven, eight o'clock, and this is wednesday's weather map and the weather front crossing the bulk of england and wales, and it looks like scotland and northern ireland will get away with a relatively bright day, and it will be reining in the morning but in the afternoon we have sunshine developing in the western isles and northern ireland and there may be a bit of brightness in glasgow as well but as far as england and wales are concerned most of the day will be cloudy and then

further south and east the wetter it is likely to be, with heavy rain for a time in london. here are around 1a but cold in the north because the colder air has arrived from the northern climes. on thursday another weather front moves over the northern half of the uk, and to the south we have high pressure building south we have high pressure building so it means the weather settles down thursday and friday, and into saturday and sunday, so once we get when stay out of the way with the rain, after that the weather is looking fine and dry. by. —— goodbye.

cable hello, i'm maryam moshiri, this is outside source. russia continues its bombardment of ukrainian cities — and civilian casualties mount. two blocks of flats are bombed killing at least three people. ukrainian boxer vladimir klitschko had this message for the world. this image is the truth of russian war against ukraine. putin's war against ukraine. total destruction in mariupol — a city under seige — and people without food, water and heating. after two weeks of shelling, authorities say some have been able to evacuate. a pregnant woman wounded in russia's bombing of a maternity hospital there is reported to have died, along with her baby.

and an anti—war protestor interrupts primetime news on russian state tv, denouncing the war in ukraine. us officials claim russia has asked china for military help. moscow denies it — beijing says it's �*fake news'. russia is continuing to bombard ukraine. russian forces are making gains and stepping up their attacks on the capital. at least one person died following a russian air strike. jeremy bowen has the latest from kyiv.

the attack happened not long before dawn. it could have been worse for the residents. many had gone to the shelters. kyiv is feeling the pressure of the war much more sharply. "it's a tragedy, and he's an idiot," he said, meaning putin. "i ask the whole world to help," said yelena, "to make these non—humans disappearfrom our ukraine." survival can be about saving a few precious things, as well as a life. kyiv�*s defenders are trying to keep russian artillery out of range, but this was a missile, fired from further away and much harder to stop. they're also very powerful. the explosion took lives and destroyed more ukrainian homes.

this is the nightmare for the city, more attacks like this. and, of course, they're vulnerable to missile strikes. but kyiv is big and it's sprawling, and the defenders have many advantages, which they're using. prayers aren't all they have. problems for the russians include rivers — notjust the mighty dnipro running through kyiv, but its tributaries and large areas of marshland that can hold up and bog down armies. at their headquarters, the generals running kyiv�*s defence invited us to their war room, and they sounded confident, like their president. they're tracking the two main russian thrusts — from the east and from the north—west — which they say are being attacked and have barely moved. we've heard a lot about this russian, long russian convoy that was to the north—west of the city. what's happened to that? he answered, "that was a week ago. our military hit it, they moved a bit, but they never did

anything that we felt in kyiv." what do you think the russians actually want to do with this city? do they want to come into the city and conquer it, or do they want to encircle it? "maybe they want to encircle the city," he said, "but i don't think they have enough soldiers. and they understand that in kyiv, around 20,000 people have been given weapons and the city's fortified. an attack would cost them very large losses." as we were talking, another missile exploded, not far from the first one. it might have been brought down by air defence. a trolleybus conductor was killed. ukrainian military success has surprised their friends and their enemies, but the russians have not turned anything like their full force on this capital city yet. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv.

we're going to talk about the relationship between russia and china now — and what russia's invasion of ukraine means for that relationship — because there is another story that's recieiving a lot of attention today. it's been reported in multiple media outlets. and it's this — this is the washington post: unamed us officials told them that "russia has turned to china for military equipment and aid in the weeks since it began its invasion of ukraine. cnn reports that russia has asked china for military support, including drones, as well as economic assistance. and the financial times explains more, saying: "us officials have said there were signs that russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry". it comes as us national security advisorjake sullivan met china's foreign minister wang yi in rome. jake sullivan also commented on the reports. here's barbara plett usher. the white house has focused more on theissue the white house has focused more on the issue of pipe potential financial support. jake sullivan has

said to china that they will be consequences if it tries to bailout russia by trying to help it to evade sanctions and that is certainly something that mr sullivan has been raising with his chinese counterpart who he is meeting in rome today. russia has denied it requested military assistance. as has china. it said the us was "spreading disinformation with malicious intentions". here's one chinese analyst. i think someone is trying to sow some discord between russia and china and also try to drag china into this very unfortunate war in ukraine. china has good relations with russia on the one hand, but also has very good relations with ukraine. let's look at china and russia's relationship. after decades of hostility, the presidents of russia and china say they are now close. most recently, vladimir putin and xijinping met before the winter olympics in beijing. they released a joint statement

saying the "friendship between the two states has no limits". they agreed on policies — china said it also �*opposes further enlargement of nato' in that statement too. as the us director of national intelligence says: "it continues to be the case that they are getting closer." so what about ukraine? china hasn't given russia its full support — but avoided criticising moscow. china abstained on two un votes to condemn russia's invasion. and since the invasion, china has said this. translation: china's basic position on the ukraine issue _ is consistent and unequivocal. china always believes that all countries' sovereigntyl and territorial integrity should be respected and the international. disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance i with the purposes and principles of the un charter. _ china has said it supports ukraine's sovereignty. and — speaking last week, cia director williamj

burns said he thought "the chinese leadership are a little bit unsettled by what they're seeing in ukraine." this us analyst agrees. china is very worried that this has developed in a way that it had not anticipated and china is not prepared for and china is being criticised as an enabler of the conflict. and is really seen as having gotten very, very close to russia. and i think that china will pay costs if it continues to lean so heavily toward moscow. russia hopes china's position will change. here'sjenny hill. moscow is rather hoping that it will have xi's support, particularly economically. over the weekend we heard from the finance minister here, who said half of russia's reserves have now been frozen due to sanctions, but he did also say that some of those reserves are in chinese currency, psychic there is the hope that china

might voice some support politically, economically or perhaps otherwise, and it has yet really to do so, so i think there is data help. rather sitting on the fence, you could put it. bbc chinese service editor, howard zhang says us predictions on the conflict have been true — and he says china and russia see themselves as victims of what he calls the current world order. i think we at least, from an observer point of view, can see so far in this conflict every prediction or every information coming out of the us government so far has been true, whether it was the prediction that russia was about to invade or the information on when russia was going to move towards which direction, so so far, that information has been proved true, so now we're looking at, again, a us official leaking the major news organisations, stating that russia has requested

military aid from china, so this we have to give it benefit of doubt based on the track record so far. howard, if russia were to get military help from china, what would it be getting? thinking very interesting military exercise to look at between russia and china, back in last august, at the height of the pandemic, if you listen to the chinese state media, at that time, broadcasting 10,000 soldiers exercising saturated bombing, cluster drone attacks and armoured columns, concentrated directional attacks, those things sound familiar. if they do, those are possibly the things russians will be looking at, because that is almost what we are seeing on television from a day—to—day basis, and the chinese are known to be

leaders and some of the categories of drones they produce, so when cnn mentioned it could be russians requesting drones, that's a high possibility. howard, how much appetite is there within the chinese government to take on the west with russia? the ideal logical bind is there, both china and russia see themselves as victims of the current world order, they see themselves as unfairly disseminated against either the us and sees the us and nato as a threat —— discriminated against. because of this common perception that the west is threatening their regime and their hold on power, to use one of the chinese general terms, russia and china was trying to have each other�*s back. that was from last year, when the two defence ministers

of russia and china signed a five—year treaty or agreement, to expand military cooperation. howard, what is the chinese state media saying? are they calling it a war, for example? lately, the word such as war and conflict start to come out of chinese state media, but for the first week or longer, the only term you hear is the ukraine situation, but lately we start to hear conflict and war, but very much still the overall rhetoric is along the line of moscow's propaganda line, that this is a special military operation and the russian military are using utmost restraint on civilians and trying to avoid civilian targets and pinpointing what they called the extreme nationalists in ukraine and trying to demilitarised the ukrainian nationalists. that's still the line

from the chinese state media. the toll of russia's aggression on the population in ukraine is clear — and a vast number have fled the country in the less than three weeks of the war. 2.8 million people have now escaped from ukraine, most of them women and children. poland has taken the vast majority, and the population of the capital warsaw has increased by 15%. our europe editor katya adler now reports on how life in warsaw has changed. this is europe's biggest refugee crisis since world war ii, and poland is very much on the front line. nearly 3 million ukrainians have so far fled their country. more arrive here every day, and most stay put here, in poland. it's still close to home, if not close enough. translation: i didn't want to leave, | but my parents live here in warsaw. | they begged me to bring my son to safety.

we left his dad behind, fighting for ukraine. train by train, bus by bus, waves of refugees make their way to warsaw, but the army of polish volunteers that opened hearts and homes over the last two weeks say they're now close to breaking point. "we can't any more," adriana told me. "it's time for the authorities to get organised." refugee centres are beginning to appear in the polish capital. the eu has promised funds. not enough, says warsaw's mayor. the number of inhabitants of my city increased by 15% and we are doing everything we can to help but, slowly, we're becoming overwhelmed. we need a european and international response. all the west says it wants to help ukrainians, but it's neighbouring poland that feels like a first responder, very much in the eye of the storm. and on two fronts. this ever—growing influx of refugees

seeking safety and an ever—growing concern amongst poles that russia's aggression in ukraine could spread here over the border. by accident, or by design, this weekend, russia bombed this ukrainian military base ten minutes' drive from poland. warsaw has warned the west for years the kremlin hoped to change the balance of power in europe. today, the polish prime minister said ukrainians were fighting on behalf of their european neighbours. translation: what vladimir putin is doing in ukraine is part _ of a geopolitical plan. we have to help ukrainians because they are fighting for ourfreedom, too. for warsaw pensioner krystyna, ukrainian refugees bring back childhood memories of war and then soviet occupation. she and her friends are making ukrainian flag ribbons. "we're too poor to give money, too old to hold a gun," she told me,

"but we're helping where we can. we're scared for our own future, too." katya adler, bbc news, warsaw. here in the uk 25,000 people have already signed up to host ukrainian refugees since a government scheme was announced earlier today. leveling up secretary michael gove has tweeted: "the british public stands with ukraine in their darkest hour." he adds that he's signed up, too. all hosts will need to undergo vetting checks and register on a government website. in return, hosts will receive £350 a month — that's around $a60 — to take in refugees escaping the fighting for at least six months. here's our home editor mark easton. with open arms. britain is being encouraged to open its arms to tens of thousands of ukrainians. celebrities and politicians among those who say they would like to sponsor those fleeing the war, inviting them into their homes until the refugees can return to their motherland.

. .open arms. the government wants to tap into the wave of public support for ukraine... thank you, see you soon. ..getting individuals and organisations to look after refugees rather than setting up a state—run humanitarian route. horn sounds. there will be no limit to the number of ukrainians who can— benefit from this scheme. the scheme will be open to all. ukrainian nationals and residents. they will be able to live and work in the united kingdom _ for up to three years. they will have full and unrestricted access to benefits, health care, i employment and other support. the challenge is setting up a scheme that ensures the safety and well—being of highly vulnerable refugees while not requiring sponsors to go through too many hoops. if you'd like to house a ukrainian, you must agree to take someone for a minimum of six months, apply online via the government website, identify a named person you wish to bring to britain,

satisfy your local authority y°ur property is suitable, and undergo security and safeguarding checks. what we've seen today is the government playing catch up with the breadth of appetite across british society to make sure we make a generous offer of sanctuary and that the public are ready, willing and waiting to play their own part in doing that when we see the scenes on the news. we've had hundreds of people respond, got nearly 1000 offers of beds around the country. this charity aims to link the welcoming with the welcomed, but the organisers warn that finding the right match is not always straightforward. you've got people coming in who've got various needs. they might have school needs, they might have medical care needs. and you've got people who have accommodation, but they haven't got it between the months ofjuly and august or they have got it available and they've got children coming back from university, so there's going to be quite a lot of complexity, i think _ for some, support for ukraine means direct action.

protesters occupied russian oligarch oleg deripaska's mansion in london's exclusive belgrave square today. the ukrainian flag hung from a window until riot police moved in. people want to do something, to send a message to the kremlin and support the people of ukraine, but the question is how to turn goodwill into useful support? the community sponsorship scheme set up amid the syrian crisis only helped around 500 refugees in five years. the ambition is much greater this time, and there is undoubted enthusiasm for a scheme that awakens civil society and shows solidarity with ukraine, but whether it can respond adequately to the emergency unfolding across europe remains an open question. mark easton, bbc news. helen catt is in westminster — lots of people signing up for this scheme? yes, there are. the scheme went live, the website went live to register your interest mid—afternoon

this afternoon, just as michael gove was standing in the house of commons and talking about it. itjust went live before that. the latest figures we have for the number of people and organisations that have signed up stands. i think that is reflective, as you had a nappy is there, that sense of people wanting to help, —— as you heard in there has been criticism of the government's, this is the second route that has been set up. the first one was only open to people who were family of ukrainian nationals who had settled status here in the uk. so far, a000 visas have been issued through that route. ministers, as you heard there, very keen to stress that this other route, known as homes for ukraine, doesn't have a cap on to people who have an identified 90 person in ukraine that they want to

bring to the uk. the government says it to be up and the key test will be how quickly can and then move on people who don't already have that link and that sort of wider sense of let's go to some other news — and china's government has ordered a province of 2a million people into lockdown as it tries to contain a covid—19 outbreak that has spread to multiple locations. authorities reported 1,a37 new cases across the country. just under 900 cases were found injilin province, which was put under lockdown measures. people living in the province have been banned from moving around, and anyone wanting to leave the province must apply for permission from police. restrictions were already in place in two cities, jilin and changchun. here's the bbc�*s china analyst kerry allen. it is, effectively, as big as early on in the pandemic,

we're talking back in 2020, during the wuhan outbreak. the number of cases today, the number of domestic cases in china, is over 1,000. and the majority of these are injilin province, in the north east. i was looking at statistics given by the national health commission on this province last week, they were a6, they were around the a0 mark, and they have now nearly reached 1,000, and they are largely in two cities, in a city called jilin, the same as the province, and also changchun. massive outbreaks which mean the entire province is under lockdown. that is a province of 2a million people. how strict is china in terms of its zero covid strategy? extremely strict. if there is even a single systematic case of covid—19, the entire community locks down, so the fact there are huge number of cases in this province, it is very significant. but there is a large—scale outbreak,

i would say, notjust injilin, but in china as a whole at the moment. over the last week, there have been huge cases appearing in hong kong, and these have spilt over into the mainland. we saw shenzhen imposing a major lockdown. restrictions in shanghai being imposed as well. at the etty moment, they are not citywide lockdowns, but they affect hundred of people, potentially thousands. what kind of impact does this have going forward on the supply chain in china, in particular the way it impacts businesses across the country? it has a huge impact. it is the case in china that if these communities are locked down, people can't even go to the shops to get supplies. people are literally confined to their homes, and that means people cannot get

to work, it means that businesses, if cases are detected in businesses, the entire business goes down. if there is one case in a factory, it means that entire factory closes, so there's a huge knock on effect. cases at the moment are in 16 of china's 31 regions, and it could have an impact notjust on china's domestic economy but on the international economy, because there won't be people working. what has been the reaction in china of all of these strict rules within the country? one of the things that happens, and we've seen this with previous outbreaks, is that state media, leading media, like cctv, what they will try to do is they will try to emphasise positive stories, so they will run lots of stories to do with volunteers and epidemic prevention workers trying to make people's lives as peaceful as possible. and also we have to consider that china's social media environment is very heavily state restricted,

there's a lot of censorship, and you've also got nationalists who are paid by the government to promote positive messages. so a lot of comments, people will access this platform which is like facebook or twitter, and they will just see positive messages about how the authorities are doing the most they can, and the hope is that these restrictions will be lifted it sooner rather than later. i want to show you some drawing pictures from mariupol. brute i want to show you some drawing pictures from mariupol.— i want to show you some drawing pictures from mariupol. we saw these ictures pictures from mariupol. we saw these pictures briefly _ pictures from mariupol. we saw these pictures briefly earlier _ pictures from mariupol. we saw these pictures briefly earlier but _ pictures from mariupol. we saw these pictures briefly earlier but i _ pictures from mariupol. we saw these pictures briefly earlier but i want i pictures briefly earlier but i want to show you the pictures in full. this is what it looks like now. you can see the extent of the damage caused by russian attacks, buildings reduced to rubble. we know a00,000 people live there, they have been trapped for nearly two weeks, surrounded by russian troops firing rockets and shells. people who have escaped state residents have run out

of food and rainwater. you've been watching outside source. thank you so much for your company, goodbye for now. hello. the aurora barry ellis lit up and on those guys last night and tonight with clearing skies, there is the chance of see the phenomena again, but italy and scotland as the solar wind lights up our magneto spare. you can see clear skies across parts of central england, the south—west as well, this lump of cloud brought rain initially to northern ireland then scotland then this diet will continue to play so good chance of catching it further. weather front approaching to the north—west are milder here,

but elsewhere it is clear and cold and calm. let's have a look at the weather front, it is a slow—moving one, so it won't make much progress into western scotland or northern ireland through the course of the day and edinburgh will probably stay bright with some sunny spells and elsewhere across england and wales should be a dry day with the highest temperatures in the south—east, up to around 16. hull is also expecting 1a—15. you can see the rain in the central lowlands by the time we get to around seven, eight o'clock, and this is wednesday's weather map and the weather front crossing the bulk of england and wales, and it looks like scotland and northern ireland will get away with a relatively bright day, and it will be raining in the morning but in the afternoon we have sunshine developing in the western isles and northern ireland and there may be a bit of brightness in glasgow as well but as far as england and wales are concerned most of the day will be cloudy and then further south and east the wetter it is likely to be,

with heavy rain for a time in london. here are around 1a but cold in the north because the colder air has arrived from the northern climes. on thursday another weather front moves over the northern half of the uk, and to the south we have high pressure building so it means the weather settles down thursday and friday, and into saturday and sunday, so once we get when stay out of the way with the rain, after that the weather is looking fine and dry. goodbye.

i'm laura trevelyan in washington and this is bbc world news america. there's been no let up in russia's relentless bombardment of ukrainian cities. one person was killed in a strike on a block of flats in kieev — as russian artillery targets the outskirts of the capital. many were rescued. this is the nightmare for the city — more attacks like this. and, of course, they're vulnerable to missile strikes. but kyiv is big and it's sprawling, and the defenders have many advantages, which they're using. devastating scenes in the besieged city of mariupol where over 2,000 civilians have now died. those still trapped are without food, water and heat.

an anti—war protestor interrupts primetime news