welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughanjones. our top stories. pounded for weeks, kharkiv has been decimated by russian shelling, but ukrainian fighters are resisting. we have a special report from the frontline. they've tried to punch through here, again and again and again, and they've failed. the ukrainian armed forces are keeping them at bay. in the south — rescuers search for survivors — after a theatre is bombed with hundreds sheltering in the basement. are we closer to a peace deal? russia's president has put forward his proposals to turkey. do they leave or stay behind —

the agonising decisions being made in the crucial port city of odesa — including in the main orphanage, where some are too sick to travel. they need oxygen, how can i move them? am i supposed to take the healthiest to safety and abandon the rest. russia's president vladimir putin has set out what he wants in exchange for a peace deal in ukraine. he laid out his demands in a phone call with the president of turkey — who's acting as a go—between in peace talks. putin wants guarantees that ukraine neverjoins nato, eastern parts of ukraine can break away and crimea be accepted as part of russia. more on that in a moment. first an eyewitness report

from the frontline. ukraine's second city of kharkiv has been under heavy daily bombardment but the ukrainian army is continuing to hold off the russian advance. for this special report, our correspondent quentin sommerville and camera journalist darren conway have been following the ukrainian army as they defend kharkiv. russia says it's demilitarising ukraine. instead, it's creating a wasteland. what it can't have, it destroys with vengeance. these were family homes on the edge of kharkiv. civilians are daily targets in vladimir putin's war. by the back door, a dead russian soldier. suburban gardens have become battlefields from europe's past.

but here, the men of ukraine's 22nd battalion have pulled off a miracle. they've stopped the might of the russian army at their city gates. ill—equipped and vastly outnumbered, three weeks on, they're still holding the line. russian boots have failed to gain hold here. frustrated, they've sent troops elsewhere, leaving heavy artillery to bomb the city into submission. explosions. constantine, a former air force pilot, has come out

of retirement to fight. translation: this is the first line of defence for the city. . if they get through here, they will enter kharkiv. this road takes you from russia to the very heart of the city. but the heart of kharkiv, and ukrainian resistance, is still beating. just beyond this position, there's only open country, and russians. they've tried to punch through here again and again and again and they've failed. ukrainian armed forces are keeping them at bay. they've also tried to encircle the city, but again, they failed. so, they're taking out their frustration with artillery, bombing notjust... you can hear it... bombing not just these front lines, but also the entire population of kharkiv.

a russian missile screeches above us. in this crater, six ukrainian soldiers died in a single strike. roman tells us, "they're chickens. "they won't show themselves again, but we'll respond good and proper." and away from the front, no neighbourhood is safe. explosion and breaking glass. russian grad rockets fall all around us. get in here! get in, get in! this is the reckless targeting of human life.

to the south, the invaders are advancing, but here in ukraine's second city, kharkiv stands defiant while russia rages with incandescent fury. and russia knows hundreds of thousands of people are still living here. how do you keep out such horror? explosions. sasha and svetlana's apartment is now the front line. for the men and women of the ukrainian army, she has a message.

translation: i'm very grateful to them for defending our land. | hold on, guys. we will always support you. explosions. both of my daughters and a granddaughter are fighting for ukraine. quentin sommerville, bbc news, kharkiv, in eastern ukraine. in the besieged city of mariupol there are reports many people have survived after a theatre was bombed by russian forces. hundreds of people were thought to be sheltering in the basement. ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky has accused russia of deliberately targeting the theatre but russia has denied carrying out the attack. our international correspondent, orla guerin reports on the continuing russian assault. it's mariupol, he says, the theatre. here's the russian world. new footage shows what's left of the cultural landmark where so many sought shelter.

ukraine says russia deliberately dropped a bomb here. this satellite image shows the russian word for children clearly marked at the front and back of the theatre. that didn't deter russian jets. in the darkness a week ago, crowds of women and children were filmed in the bomb shelter below ground. officials have said the shelter withstood the attack. so far, there are no reports of deaths, but mariupol is still being shelled, and information is slow to emerge. here's what three weeks of russian bombardment have done to the city. the authorities say around 2500 people have been killed, but many bodies lie uncounted

in the rubble. hard to believe it looked like this last month, when we filmed these pictures. then, it was a bustling port city. families strolling past the theatre that was loved by so many, including an opera singer who has managed to flee. you know, it's so devastating, it's a very personal story for me, as well and as for a lot of actors and musicians who sang there. it's even more devastating to know that this place actually was a shelter for more than a thousand people, including children.

today, in moments of quiet, some were getting out, leaving their homes and their city with what they could carry or drag. "we all left the building," this woman says. "i was the last. "then there was an explosion. "they left us with nothing. "we live in the basement. "how can we live like that? "what was our crime?" the street of this strategic city are littered with evidence of russian attacks. still, the kremlin claims it does not bomb cities and did not bomb the theatre. officials in kyiv say russia is carrying out a genocide. so, the intention of russian aggression is to destroy mariupol to the ground, but the main thing and the main tragedy that they are losing our people. we will rebuild ukraine,

but we will not, you know, we cannot bring back our people. they have died. today, this exodus of the living. they managed to flee, though convoys are often shelled. an estimated 300,000 people remain trapped inside the suffering city, where conditions are said to be medieval. orla guerin, bbc news, kyiv. through all of this fighting of course has been the hope of a peaceful outcome — and now what appears to be an outline of a peace agreement seems to be emerging. in a phone call between president putin and turkey's president erdogan, the russian leader set out his demands. the bbc�*s world afairs editor, john simpson, who's in istanbul, has been given details of that call.

he started to tell me what had been happening. that ukraine should be neutral. there should be disarmament which, simply means, you claim will not have the kind of heavy weapons to attack russia if it wanted to, thirdly, that it should protect the russian language inside ukraine and fourthly the question of denazification. in the strange thing to my mind. still not have figured out what that means. it is insulting to ukraine. you might guess. there's never been notification in ukraine or ukrainian lands but the russian side has brought this up. i think that is one of the easier items to

deal with. those are the four easy things. now for the difficult ones. they are territorial. one is about the donbas of the turks were much, much vaguer about this but it could be russia would demand the independence of those two small russian speaking states in east ukraine and the second is crimea. in east ukraine and the second is crimea-— in east ukraine and the second is crimea. this meeting should take place _ is crimea. this meeting should take place sooner _ is crimea. this meeting should take place sooner rather - is crimea. this meeting should take place sooner rather than i take place sooner rather than later because it is only at that level, at a strategic level where the leaders meet that key decisions will be taken and hopefully a permanent ceasefire and permanent peace agreement will be reached. all other initiatives are important, they help, but ultimately, you know, it is president putin who is going to call this thing off. {iii president putin who is going to call this thing off.— call this thing off. of course, russia took _ call this thing off. of course, russia took crimea - call this thing off. of course, russia took crimea from - call this thing off. of course, -

russia took crimea from ukraine illegally in 2014. now may be russia wants to force ukraine to see that the taking of crimea was legal which will be a very, very bitter pill for ukraine to have to swallow. can i ask you finally, we were just listening to president putin talking on the phone. there's been quite a lot of speculation about his state of mind, his sanity. even and his health and so on. what did you think? what is your impression as you listen to him? with same as usual. calm, confident. we did not talk about nuclear anything. he talked about the negotiations and the items on the table. it was going around that tone and framework. come? you can calm.

i'm joined now byjeffrey edmonds, research scientist with the center for naval analyses — he served as a military analyst with the cia and is the former director for russia — at the us national security council. we have heard a list of putin's demands. what you make of them? there are two aspects. in the russian side, these are maximal demands that undermine ukraine's sovereignty. the other part is how much can we trust russia to follow through with these things. recall he said he was not going to invade ukraine to begin with and he maintained that light up into the day he did it. the other side is president zelensky. he is saying he wants to maintain negotiations because he is a responsible leader and he should do so. he has more support than he has ever hadn't west are shown in incredible

solidarity around the ukraine position so i don't see ukrainians giving into this anytime soon so, to be honest, i am not very optimistic about the outcome of these negotiations. if the outcome of these negotiations.- the outcome of these negotiations. the outcome of these neuotiations. , ., ., negotiations. if i side for a second. — negotiations. if i side for a second, what _ negotiations. if i side for a second, what about - negotiations. if i side for a second, what about the i negotiations. if i side for a l second, what about the fact that russia, clearly their operations are going much worse than expected, not making the games that they want the absolute horror being insured on the other side by so many training people. surely that is pushing both of these men to try to take stock seriously? i don't know about the training side of that. from their perspective they are winning the war many thought they would not win. on the russian side it is hard for me to see president putin killing these things back. as much as he talks about denazification and the fact he thought ukraine were drug dealers and neo—nazis from april this back, ijust don't

know him to de—escalate so i don't think russia offers are disingenuous. the stick in quite a bit longer. there's an interesting — quite a bit longer. there's an interesting take _ quite a bit longer. there's an interesting take on _ quite a bit longer. there's an interesting take on this - quite a bit longer. there's an interesting take on this thatl interesting take on this that putin needs to be given a way out. a way to back down without losing face. that is part of the context of these talks and it was pointed out that his strength of propaganda in russia so strong that the concessions given that he could please his domestic audience that could be swallowed by the west. he that could be swallowed by the west. , ., ., that could be swallowed by the west. , . ., , west. he is a great destroyer. so that leading _ west. he is a great destroyer. so that leading up _ west. he is a great destroyer. so that leading up to - west. he is a great destroyer. so that leading up to this - so that leading up to this conflict. it also in the longer term, yes, he is maintain some level of information dominance remember the russian citizens who know most about this for the ones fighting in ukraine.

all of those soldiers will come home and tell their story and so his dominance of the information sphere narrative around the story will change over time and will begin him. fascinating to get your analysis. thank you. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we speak to the russian journalist who protested against the war in ukraine on a live tv news programme — after she was detained and fined for her actions. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. cheering. more than 3000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and the dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack.

the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats. of the west — offeringl reunification as quickly as possible — and that'sl what the voters wanted. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. the ukrainian army is holding

the ukrainian city of kharkiv. new british intelligence reports suggest moscow's invasion has �*largely stalled' with heavy russian losses and fierce ukrainian resistance. for places in ukraine like the city of odesa — yet to witness an offensive, residents are faced with a difficult decision, to leave or stay. (00v with a difficult decision, to leave or stay. russia is eager to take the crucial port city on the black sea coast. our correspondent andrew harding is in odesa as it prepares its defences, and he sent this report. on ukraine's black sea coast, they're getting ready for the russians. filling sandbags... ..and blocking the streets of odesa, an ancient port city once attacked by lenin, then by hitler, now braced

for putin's invasion. some here cling to a sense of normality. "of course the war will come, with all its death and suffering, and for what?" asks 77—year—old alexander. others are already facing immediate, impossible decisions. in odesa's main orphanage, 18 of its children are too sick to be taken abroad. translation: they need oxygen. how can i move them? am i supposed to take the healthiest to safety and abandon the rest? for now, her plan is to move them all to the basement. up the road at odesa's zoo, the staff have agreed to stay put, whatever the war brings. the director now sleeps

in his office, afraid the sound of explosions might panic the animals. and more animals keep arriving, pets dropped off by families preparing to flee. i'm afraid. but we stay here. we love our city and we will stay here. and we will fight. meanwhile, teenage recruits are still signing up for odesa's civil defence units, ready to fight the russians street by street, knowing it may soon come to that. it is impossible to imagine the russians bombarding this precious city, a place steeped in the russian language, in russian culture, and in centuries of russian history. and yet the events of the past few weeks here in ukraine suggest that this city, odesa, could be under attack at any moment. out of sight, off the coast, a russian armada is circling. odesa has already sandbagged its most precious monuments. while each new air raid sends people down to the city's old cellars... ..to wait for whatever russia has in store.

andrew harding, bbc news, odesa. the russian journalist who protested against the war in ukraine on a live tv news programme says she's a normal russian woman who could not remain on the sidelines. marina ovsyan—nikova was detained, fined and then released. she's been speaking to our correspondent in moscow, caroline davies. marina ovsyannikova is not used to being the story. she worked in state media for 18 years until she decided to stage her own protest against russia's actions in ukraine. on monday evening, she interrupted the broadcast, shouting, "no war," and holding up a poster that read, "they're lying to you here." translation: there are lots

of conspiracy theories - building up about me, that this was a fake, that it was set up by the fsb, or i am a project of western special services. that's why i had to explain to the world what really happened, the fact that i'm just a normal russian woman but i could not remain indifferent after russia invaded ukraine. you worked at state media for years. do you have a sense of guilt about that? ifeel, of course, some responsibility lying on me. i was an ordinary cog in the propaganda machine. until the very last moment, i didn't think about it too much. i was happy with my life but discontent was piling up. but, of course, i feel responsibility. yesterday, president putin made it clear what he thought of anyone with pro—western views, calling them traitors.

this is the channel marina worked for. russian state tv has long been controlled by the kremlin and is the main source of news for millions of russians. since the beginning of what russia called its "special military operation" in ukraine, a number ofjournalists have resigned from several russian state tv channels, but marina is adamant that she wants to stay in russia. what do you think your future now holds for you and your children here in russia? it's a hard question because my eldest son said that i have ruined the life of the whole family. probably he doesn't understand now, but i hope in the future my children will understand this sacrifice was not for nothing. caroline davies, bbc news, moscow. a reminder of our top story.... russia's president vladimir putin has set out what he wants in exchange for a peace deal in ukraine. he laid out his demands in a phone call with the president of turkey — who's acting as a go—between

in peace talks. they include a guarantee that ukraine neverjoins nato. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ l vaughanjones. hello there. the weather is really settling down. there's going to be a lot of dry weather, probably, for the next week or so. now, on thursday, we saw more cloud mainly across northern parts of the uk, giving us a few showers. but we're going to see less of this and more of this — blue skies over the next few days, very colourful picture there in the centre of london. now, this was the cloud that gave us the rain on wednesday. that's well out of the way. this cloud is not really reaching our shores, and the speckle cloud, the showers in the north of scotland are tending to fade away. so, with clear skies, light winds, it is going to be a chilly start to friday morning with some frost, particularly across scotland and northern ireland. maybe a few mist and fog patches across wales, the midlands, across the west country, too. these will lift in the morning,

and then the sunshine comes out far and wide once again. the winds tending to freshen up a little bit in the afternoon, but it's likely to be a warmer day than it was on thursday. temperatures of 13 degrees in the central belt of scotland and newcastle, and a high of 16 celsius in the southeast of england. the weather's quitening down because high pressure's building across the uk on friday. the centre of that strong highs going to be pushing to the east of our shores with quite a few isobars on the chart on saturday. it's going to be dry on saturday, but the winds will be quite a bit stronger — that'll be a noticeable change for all parts of the country. so, no frost around, probably no fog around on saturday morning, but there will be lots of sunshine during the day. the winds coming in from the east or southeast means that the highest temperatures will always be across more sheltered western areas. across some eastern parts of england, temperatures maybe no higher than 12 or 13 degrees. could make 16 along the coast of northwest england, but it's up towards the northwest highlands and perhaps even into the moray firth that temperatures could reach 17 or 18 degrees, and it could be the warmest day of the year so far. as we move into sunday, there are going to be some changes. it's going to be colder

for a start and a bit more cloud around, too. there'll still be some sunshine around on sunday, but more cloud, especially for some eastern parts of the uk. it could just be thick enough to give one or two light showers in east anglia and the southeast of england. the winds won't be as strong on sunday, but temperatures are going to be lower, struggling to make double figures around some of those eastern coasts. but let's end on a positive note, because early next week, it's going to get warmer.

this is bbc news, the headlines: russia's president vladimir putin has set out what he wants in exchange for a peace deal in ukraine. he laid out his demands in a phone call with the president of turkey, who's acting as a go—between in peace talks. the demands include a guarantee that ukraine neverjoins nato. the ukrainian army is continuing to hold off the russian advance in the second city of kharkiv, even as it comes under heavy daily bombardment. a planned humanitarian corridor to allow people to be evacuated from kharkiv failed to operate, due to shelling by russian forces. in the besieged city of mariupol, there are reports many people have survived after a theatre was bombed by russian forces. hundreds were thought to be sheltering in the basement. ukraine's president zelensky

has accused russia of deliberately targeting the theatre,