a strike on a block of flats in the north west of kyiv kills one person and injures 12. in the north west of kyiv kills one this in the north west of kyiv kills one is the nightmare more this is the nightmare for the city. more attacks like this and of course they are vulnerable to missile strikes. but kyiv is big and it is sprawling and the defenders have many advantages which they are using. scenes of devastation in the southern port city of mariupol — where food, water and heating are said to have become desperately scarce. and in russia — a rare moment of protest on state television —

as a broadcast is disrupted by an anti—war demonstrator. just hours after it was launched, around 16,000 people have already signed up to the government's new sponsorship scheme to allow ukrainian refugees to come to britain. and we report on the impact of the war is having on global energy supplies. coming up in the sport, can manchester city go six points clear at the top of the premier league? or will crystal palace topple the table—toppers? good evening and welcome to the bbc news at ten, live from lviv in western ukraine. russia is continuing to bombard cities across ukraine. there've been more harrowing reports emerging of civilians suffering in the southern city

of mariupol today — and the in capital kyiv — airstrikes have been getting closer to the centre. at least one person died and 12 people were injured following an russian air strike on a block of flats in the obolon district in the north of the city. as the violence continues, talks between russian and ukrainian representatives will resume again tomorrow, after a fourth round of discussions ended without a breakthrough. 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 jelena, "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 are 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 said are being attacked and have barely moved. we've heard a lot about this long russian convoy that was to the north—west of the city, what's happened to that? translation: that was a week ago, the big column. _ 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? translation: may be they want to encircle the city, _ but i don't think they have enough soldiers, and they understand that in kyiv, around 20,000 people have received weapons, and the city is fortified.

attacking will 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 trolley bus 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. an evacuation convoy has managed to leave the key port of mariupol in the south of the country, 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. from southern ukraine, andrew harding reports. 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 for more than one week. another big problem is for people who died because of lack of medication. many people who were killed, they're just lying on the ground. and today we learned 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." today, a few hundred people were able to drive to safety, but that's a drop in the ocean. well, it's...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. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in kyiv tonight. another desperate day in cities across ukraine. yes, it's just past midnight. yes, it'sjust past midnight. on monday the air raid sirens sounded across this country, including in the west and centre which have been relatively calm during this invasion. we have been hearing russian artillery. they are pounding cities and towns in the south and on the black sea coast. tonight in kyiv there have been constant explosions

on the edge of this city like a rolling thunder. and monday morning was very noisy. a lot of russian artillery fire. louder than we've heard it before. there was also a lot of ukrainian fire. firing surface to air missiles. the pentagon's assessment is that the russian advance is being stalled because of the effectiveness of the defence. the blackened wastelands on the edge of the city underline again. 20 days on this is a brutal war and a deepening humanitarian catastrophe. war and a deepening humanitarian catastmphe-_ war and a deepening humanitarian catastrophe. the main evening news on russia's flagship channel one was disrupted tonight by a protest against the war on ukraine. a woman ran behind the newsreader carrying a sign with the text, "no war." our russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports. in russia, tv is tightly controlled to transmit the kremlin line. but

look at what happened tonight. live on the main evening news. a woman runs onto the set to condemn russia's onslaught in ukraine. she is a channel one editor. the sign reads no war, stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here, russians against war. before her protest she had recorded this message. russia was committing a crime in ukraine, she said, and vladimir putin was responsible. this is russian tv normally. on message, pro—putin. tv channels here don't call what russia is doing in ukraine a war, they say it's a special military operation. but

critical voices have been creeping in. on a populartalk critical voices have been creeping in. on a popular talk show this film director says he can't imagine russia taking cities like kyiv and warns that close allies like china and india might distance themselves from russia. but this is more than just criticism. it is a direct challenge. one woman taking on the kremlin. quite extraordinary. i've never seen anything like that here. what it shows us is despite the kremlin�*s almost total control of the media it is still struggling to persuade some people within the system that what the kremlin is doing is right. as for that editor, she has reportedly been detained by police and the tv channel, channel one russia, has launched an internal investigation. thank you, steve rosenberg, our russian editor. the toll of the russian

assault on the population here in ukraine is clear, and a vast number have fled the country in the less than three weeks of 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 from the polish capital warsaw, on how the country is coping. almost 3 million ukrainians have so far fled their country, in this, europe's biggest refugee crisis since the second world war. and these are some of the faces behind the cold statistics. children, mums, grannies. some transit through poland but most stay put. it feels familiar here, close to home, though of course, not close enough, as recent arrival natalia made very clear. translation: i didn't want to leave | but my parents live here in warsaw, | they begged me to bring my son

to safety, left his dad behind fighting for ukraine. train by train, wave after wave of refugees makes its way to warsaw, as long as russia's onslaught continues. an army of polish volunteers opened their hearts and homes since the start of the crisis. by now, they tell us, they're pretty overwhelmed. translation: i've seen fellow - volunteers fainting from exhaustion. we need the authorities to step in and get organised. slowly, refugee centres are setting up here now, and the eu has promised funds. but not enough, says warsaw's mayor. the number of inhabitants of our city increased by 15%, and we are doing everything we can to help, but slowly we are becoming overwhelmed. we need a european and international response.

all the west says it wants to help ukrainians, but it is neighbouring poland that feels like a first responders, 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. russia bombed this ukrainian military base at the weekend, ten minutes' drive from poland. warsaw has warned the west for years that the kremlin aimed to change the balance of power in europe. today, the polish prime minister said ukrainians were fighting on behalf of their eastern 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. poland's troubled past is fuelling its fears for the future. the arrival here of ukrainian

refugees is evoking childhood memories of war, followed by soviet occupation for warsaw pensioner christina and her friends. they're busy making solidarity ribbons of the ukrainian flag. "we're too poor to give the money, too old to hold a gun," she tells me. "we help where we can. we're scared for our own tomorrow." katya adler, bbc news, warsaw. more from here in lviv a bit later, but now it's back to sophie in the studio. almost 16,000 people in the uk have signed up to the government's new sponsorship scheme to take in ukrainian refugees within just hours of the scheme being launched. anyone wishing to get involved will need to undergo vetting checks and register on the government website. in return, hosts will receive £350 a month to take in the refugees for at least six months. labour has criticised the scheme

as overly bureaucratic and a diy asylum scheme. here's our home editor, mark easton. ..with open arms. with open arms... 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, evident here in dorset today. thank you, see you soon. hello, mate, how are you? getting individuals and organizations to look after refugees, rather than setting up a state—run humanitarian route. car horn beeps. 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 wellbeing 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 your property is suitable and undergo security and safeguarding checks. what we're seeing 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 a thousand 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 schooling needs, they might have medical care needs, and you've got people who have got accommodation, but they haven't got it between the months ofjuly and august, or they have got it available, they've got children coming back from university. so there is 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. meanwhile, the fourth round of talks between ukraine and russia has broken up without agreement, but further talks will take place tomorrow. the ukrainians are pressing for a ceasefire and the immediate withdrawal of russian troops, but the kremlin has said its military operations are continuing. here's our diplomatic correspondent james landale. this is what's left after russian shells fall from the sky. a residential area of kharkiv, in north—east ukraine, laid waste. all the while, the world looks on. translation: this tragedy must stop. it's never too late for diplomacy and dialogue. we need an immediate cessation of hostilities and serious negotiations. and yet both sides are talking already.

ukrainian officials held another video conference with russian counterparts, with both sides sounding more positive. translation: our positions remain unchanged, peace, i immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of all russian troops, and only after that can we talk about neighbourly relations. russia, too, has its demands. its foreign minister, meeting his counterpart from qatar, is made clear the fighting will stop once ukraine says crimea belongs to russia and rules out ever joining the eu and nato. and russian diplomats continue to make wild accusations about ukraine. translation: nationalists have placed tanks, artillery _ and rocket launchers directly in and beside kindergartens and schools. there are rampaging bands of armed looters and robbers firing indiscriminately at citizens. so, with the rhetoric and the fighting showing no let—up, it's little surprise ukraine's president is still asking for more help.

translation: if you do not. close our sky, it's only a matter of time before russian missiles fall on your territory, nato territory. and what role could china play? one of its senior diplomats was in rome today to meet america's national security advisor. in seven hours of talks behind closed doors, us officials said jake sullivan raised deep concerns about china's position amid unconfirmed reports it was ready to give russia military and financial support. for all the optimistic noises emerging from the russia — ukraine talks, few are taking them at face value. the prime minister continues to talk to allies here in downing street about how best to support ukraine, and he'll be talking soon to saudi arabia about what it can do to lower the price of oil. this afternoon, mrjohnson met his latvian counterpart. this evening, he hosted more northern european leaders. their focus, how to shore up

their defences against russia. and all the while, amid the diplomacy, the fighting in ukraine continues, and people on the ground pay the price. james landale, bbc news. a us official has warned that china may be willing to provide military assistance to russia. it comes after an intelligence report suggested russia had asked china support. china has called the claims fake news. from beijing, here's our correspondent stephen mcdonell. a new security partnership without limits, that is what the two leaders pledged to just six weeks ago, just before the opening ceremony of the winter olympics invasion. days after the game is finished, russia attacked ukraine. china hasn't condoned the war, but it also hasn't the invasion. now, american officials are claiming beijing has been asked by moscow for military

support. a foreign ministry spokesperson said this information, spread by the us, is fake. yet china has been accused by the us of spreading misinformation regarding american bio weapons in ukraine. washington says it is helping with biosafety there. if washington says it is helping with biosafety there.— biosafety there. if bei'ing could brin: their biosafety there. if bei'ing could bring their good _ biosafety there. if beijing could bring their good offices - biosafety there. if beijing could bring their good offices to - biosafety there. if beijing could bring their good offices to help| biosafety there. if beijing could i bring their good offices to help in the negotiations, to help make a settlement, i think that would win beijing's goodwill, but i think they are in a catch—22, because on the other hand, they can't really upset moscow. , ., , moscow. the chinese government is -la in: a moscow. the chinese government is playing a dangerous _ moscow. the chinese government is playing a dangerous game _ moscow. the chinese government is playing a dangerous game with - playing a dangerous game with ukraine. on the one hand it is saying to the rest of the world, we are an impartial actor and could even become a mediator in the war. but here, it is using communist party —controlled media and communist party control social media, to spread a fair amount of kremlin propaganda. the impact of this has been to drag large swathes of the chinese population in behind

vladimir putin's invasion of ukraine. platforms like wakeboard boost pro kremlin lines. go putin, russia's justice will prevail, writes one person. hooting is my idol, says another. yet there is another significant group e are, those who want the war to stop. i ask people in beijing about the ukraine conflict. translation: . , ., translation: piece is the solution. talkin: is translation: piece is the solution. talking is what _ translation: piece is the solution. talking is what solves _ translation: piece is the solution. talking is what solves disputes, - talking is what solves disputes, peace, — talking is what solves disputes, peace, we — talking is what solves disputes, peace, we hope for peace. china's leaders are _ peace, we hope for peace. china's leaders are watching _ peace, we hope for peace. china's leaders are watching the - leaders are watching the ukraine war. they have their own motherland reunification ambitions, and have threatened to retake the self—governing island of taiwan by force if necessary. the western response to ukraine and the economic pain being felt by russia would be figuring in their culture nations. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. our north america correspondent nomia iqbal

is in washington. after those talks between the us and china today, where do things stand now? intense and candid, that is where things stand this evening and there was are the two words used by us officials to describe the seven—hour meeting that they had with chinese officials this afternoon in rome. strong words but i guess they would be, given that china is completely denying the claims that america is making about offering help to russia. america is basically saying to china, we know that russia asking for help with weapons, and don't even think about it. but the white house didn't really go into details on what kind of punishment beijing could potentially face if it did indeed cross that line and help russia either it canonically or militarily. there wasn't some hint at economic sanctions which of course would be hugely damaging to beijing. also the white house has said that president biden might make a trip to europe towards the end of the month to reassure european allies, particularly nato member states, who are increasingly nervous

about being targeted by russia. nomia iqbal, thank you. in other news... all covid travel restrictions for people coming into the uk are to be dropped, even for people who are not vaccinated. it means no more passenger locator forms or pcr tests when you enter britain. the government say the action is due to the success of the vaccine programme. the supreme court has refused julian assange's latest appeal against extradition to the united states. he had been fighting extradition to the us where he faces multiple charges related to leaking classified documents. the case will now go back down to the original decision—making judge who assessed the united states' request. and 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. the prime minister has met with leaders of the offshore oil and gas industry today to discuss boosting the uk's supply. britain says it will phase out imports of russian gas and oil

including a ban on oil by the end of the year. our science editor, rebecca morelle, has been looking at how reliant european nations are on russia for energy, and where we might find alternatives. gas is one of russia's most strategic assets, but it's becoming one of europe's biggest headaches. as the war in ukraine forces an overhaul of our energy supply, there could also be consequences for climate change. we can actually use this as a huge wake—up call, which we desperately need, and say, right, this is the moment to break our addiction to fossil fuels altogether, to move to renewables, to invest into renewables much more. and that cuts our dependency of oil and gas from russia. russia is the world's largest gas exporter. so, where is its gas going? right now, the eu gets 40% of its gas from russia. but some countries are more dependent, like finland, which imports nearly all of its gas.

for germany, it's about half. for the uk, it's 4%. so, what are the alternatives to russia's gas? one option is to get gas from elsewhere. instead of piping it, it comes in a handy, transportable form — liquefied natural gas or lng. the one thing we should not allow to drive our energy policy is the assumption that the world is short of gas. lng is a key part of that. there's plenty of it, but it will take a bit of an investment cycle to get us from here to there, and that's why we've got this bumpy short term period. could coal fill that gap? the uk still plans to end its use by 2024, but for other countries like poland who have plenty of it, coal could be a short—term fix. the longer term plan is to move away from fossil fuels, and that means ramping up wind and solar energy. germany, for example, was planning to get all of its energy from renewables by 2040.

now, that target has been brought forward to 2035. there's also a big push for green hydrogen, which could act as a replacement for gas. but the technology's not there yet, and it's expensive. there are also changes we could make to our homes, like better insulation and the mass rollout of heat pumps. so, what does it mean for climate change targets? we may now see more short—term use of fossil fuels, which will increase our emissions. but could a sprint for renewables actually take us closer to our net zero goal? it might be a bit of a battle between the green and alternative fossilfuel sources, but i do have a feeling that this will actually accelerate the sort of zero carbon energy transition. for now, russia's gas is still flowing into europe. no—one knows how long the war will last, but making europe's energy more secure is now a top priority.

rebecca morrelle, bbc news. that's it from me, let's return to reeta now in lviv. as we heard earlier in the programme, the majority of ukraine's refugees have headed for poland. so far, most have been put up in people's homes. but for the thousands of ukrainian civilians who need medical care, the journey has been even more traumatic. newsnight�*s lewis goodall is in the city of lublin and was given exclusive access to one of the biggest hospitals that has been taking in ukrainian patients. three weeks ago, 44 million people lived in ukraine. now, 1.7 million of those people, mainly women and children, live in poland. most are exhausted, some are sick, some need medical care, and some were pregnant. he is a boy. he's four days old,

and he's not alone. at a hospital in the city of lublin, 60