today at six, on multiple fronts, russia intensifies it's attacks, across ukraine. this, the result of an airstrike in the west, near the city of lviv. translation: there are no l "safe" and "dangerous" cities, today we are all under attack. in the capital, kyiv, the surrogate babies, separated from their new mothers because of the war. at a rally in moscow, vladimir putin praises what he calls "russia's heroes," fighting in ukraine. we'll have the latest live from kyiv, and washington. also on the programme: workers at p&0 ferries stage nationwide protests, after 800 were sacked without notice.

and a steep rise this covid infections across the uk. and coming up on the bbc news channel: a stunning end to cheltenham for rachael blackmore — after a history—making gold cup win today, she thanked her luck and put success down to her horses. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. russia is continuing it's assault on multiple fronts across ukraine, with one of the latest attacks, a missile strike on an army barracks in the southern city of mykolyaiv. reports suggest at least 45

people have been killed. meanwhile, overnight, there was a russian air strike on an aircraft repair plant in relatively unscathed western ukraine, near the city of lviv. there were no casualties. lviv has been receiving hundreds of refugees from mariupol in the south, with many saying russia is trying to wipe the city off the face of the earth. after weeks under siege, and battered by shelling, it's soon expected to fall. but amid the darkness, the authorities there say 130 people have been rescued, from the bomb shelter under the city's theatre, that was attacked two days ago. our special correspondent, fergal keane has the very latest. the sense of security here is ebbing. after dawn brought this. a missile strike aimed at an aircraft repair plant. nobody was hurt, but this close to the city it's shaken

nerves. guards were jittery, journal ists shoved. get your cameras away, or i will break them a militia man said. people are not used to this. the mayor reflected the grim mood. translation: there are no safe and dangerous cities, today we are all under attack. this shelling was done from the black sea. no one can predict where the next missiles will fly, so when you hear the sirens you have to go to the bomb shelter and take care of your health. 7 thousands were still arriving to escape the war. this the tunnel leading their trains west. it has been three weeks exactly since i first stood in this tunnel and watched people queueing to escape the war. still they come. from mariupol, from kharkiv, from kyiv,

from kherson and many other places, whose names or deaths, we do not know. this woman has come from mariupol. 86 years old and bruised from a fall in a bomb shelter. her granddaughter described scenes of horror in the city.— horror in the city. translation: there are dead _ horror in the city. translation: there are dead people _ horror in the city. translation: there are dead people lying - horror in the city. translation: | there are dead people lying around and no one to take them. theyjust lie there. it shouldn't be like this. someone must intervene. the city's been wiped from the face of the earth. there is nothing alive. all the roads are shelled. there are trees torn out by their roots. it is like a horror film.— like a horror film. there are now 200.000 _ like a horror film. there are now 200,000 displaced _ like a horror film. there are now 200,000 displaced people - like a horror film. there are now 200,000 displaced people in i like a horror film. there are now. 200,000 displaced people in lviv like a horror film. there are now- 200,000 displaced people in lviv and maria today became one of them. the

war comes to lviv from every where. maria and her children are from the east. she is a single mother, who lost her leg in an explosion at the start of the conflict eight years ago and has now had to flee her home for the second time.— for the second time. translation: a new more brutal— for the second time. translation: a new more brutal shelling _ for the second time. translation: a new more brutal shelling started, - new more brutal shelling started, the civilian population is suffering, there is shelling all around ukraine. iwant suffering, there is shelling all around ukraine. i want to save the lives of my children, because we have suffered already. we travelled through the whole of ukraine, there is no safe space any more. in through the whole of ukraine, there is no safe space any more.— is no safe space any more. in lviv they have — is no safe space any more. in lviv they have placed _ is no safe space any more. in lviv they have placed these children's| they have placed these children's strollers in a central square. one for each child killed so far in the war. 109 young lives gone. and more threatened with each passing hour. fergal keane, bbc news. the number of civilian dead in this warfollowing russia's invasion rises steadily by the day.

the united nations says at least 816 civilians have been killed and 1,333 have been wounded. overnight in karkiv in the east, at least one person died, when a university building and two blocks of flats were shelled. and in the capital, kyiv, one person was killed, after a missile was shot down, with the debris landing in a residential area. in ukraine, every part of life has been disrupted and changed for everyone from newborns to pensioners. jeremy bowen's been seeing it for himself behind the statistics of damage and destruction are addresses like this one in kyiv. and people like olena. she is here to see what can be salvaged from the wreckage of her daughter's tiny flat in a block that was badly damaged, three days ago. look, she says, a fragment of a rocket. luckily, everyone was

safe in the shelter. and in the kitchen, olena says the fridge, the microwave, the extractor, it's all gone. and there's another piece of rocket in the ceiling. even the shopping was burnt. "my daughter and her husband are newlyweds, we'll get through this." translation: it's bad, very bad. the russians are supposed to be our closest people. i never expected they could do this to us. we never wanted the war. the neighbour, mikola, came to fix the door the firefighters kicked in. he's been arguing on the phone with his wife's cousin in saint petersburg who he is known for 50 years. translation: he told me you've been killing russians, we did nothing. - our putin is a king and a god. i told him a person like that should be in a mental hospital.

how could you russians let him be president for so long? so i said, "we should probably end this conversation." in the other burned flats in this block more fragmented lives. people who survived the attack but lost everything that was certain. it is obvious that a young family lived here. war is made up of thousands of incidents like this. not even necessarily involving loss of life, but destroying homes. wrecking everything. personal tragedies and afterwards nothing is ever the same. in the basement of kyiv maternity hospital number three, they're doing their best to make it better. but it's hard. a baby born to a surrogate mother was being picked up by a doctor, dressed to protect. we're strong, says the woman

in ukrainian, who carried the baby. her friend who had done the same for another couple agreed in russian. they wanted their identities hidden before travelling back together to the war zones in the east. the doctor took the baby girl, whose parents are german, to a safe place we agreed not to identify. paid surrogacy is legal here. but biological parents have to brave the war zone to reach their new babies. 20 new babies are being looked after in a clean and warm basement. they are waiting for parents who have got to come a long way. brazil and china, as well as from europe. they're short staffed, the nurses don't get time off. "we try to love them as if they are ours, until their mothers and fathers can get here", said antonina. translation: we just used to teach the parents - to look after the babies.

we take care of them. and they were doing that, loving care for strangers' babies in a war zone. but what a way to begin a life. the doctors in combat gear went out to collect another newborn. jeremy bowen, bbc news kyiv. vladimir putin has praised russia's "unity," over what he calls the country's "special operation," in ukraine, and he thanked russia's military. his comments came in a rare public speech, to a packed stadium in moscow. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, has sent us this report. your president needs you, they had been told and they came. some with flags and fervour, others with the letter z that has been painted on

military vehicles in ukraine. i'm a patriot says this woman, if our government is fighting in ukraine it must be necessary. not everyone was so excited at attending a kremlin rally. we have spoken to a few people who said they were either forced to come here by their employers or promised the day off if they would come. but no one would go on camera. inside the stadium, where the world cup final had been four years ago, this time... the world cup final had been four years ago, this time. . ._ years ago, this time... vladimir putin! it was _ years ago, this time... vladimir putin! it was president - years ago, this time... vladimir putin! it was president putin . years ago, this time... vladimir| putin! it was president putin out in the middle- _ putin! it was president putin out in the middle. on — putin! it was president putin out in the middle. on the _ putin! it was president putin out in the middle. on the anniversary ofl the middle. on the anniversary of russia's annexation of crimea, he gave a pep talk to his people about events in ukraine.— gave a pep talk to his people about events in ukraine. translation: we can see how— events in ukraine. translation: we can see how our— events in ukraine. translation: we can see how our soldiers _ events in ukraine. translation: we can see how our soldiers are - can see how our soldiers are acting and fighting in this operation.

shoulder to shoulder they help and support one another. but what ha--ens support one another. but what happens to _ support one another. but what happens to russians _ support one another. but what happens to russians who - support one another. but what happens to russians who call i support one another. but what| happens to russians who call it support one another. but what - happens to russians who call it an unjust war7 happens to russians who call it an unjust war? this. the letter z and offensive graffiti on the apartments offensive graffiti on the apartments of people criticising the offensive. this journalist was among those targeted. this week, she heard her president railing against traitors and prowestern some. she fears that from now on, anyone disagreeing with the authorities will be treated as an enemy of the state. translation: the see an enemy of the state. translation: they see peeple _ an enemy of the state. translation: they see people like _ an enemy of the state. translation: they see people like me _ an enemy of the state. translation: they see people like me as _ an enemy of the state. translation: they see people like me as a - they see people like me as a worthless part of society. police and mps call us parasites and free loaders who are working against the country. and i'm called a traitor of course, like they wrote on my door, as if i don't want russia to win. but i don't want our country to be

fighting. but i don't want our country to be fiuuhtin. , fighting. there is something sinister about _ fighting. there is something sinister about what - fighting. there is something sinister about what is - fighting. there is something - sinister about what is happening here. russia's president is dividing the nation into us and them, into patriots and traitors. vladimir putin is looking for scapegoats, looking for someone to blame for the economic problems ahead, so that russians don't blame him. the kremlin creating an alternative reality, portraying russia as a besieged fortress at attack at home and abroad. president biden has asked beijing not to provide russia with weapons for its war in ukraine, in a phone call with his chinese counterpart, xijinping. beijing hasn't condemned the invasion and says it wants to remain neutral. peace talks between russia and ukraine are continuing, but are they getting anywhere7 in a moment we'll talk to our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, but first, let's hearfrom our north america editor, sarah smith,

who's in washington. this is probably one of the most significant callsjoe biden�*s had to pabg as president in talking —— had to make as president? yes pabg as president in talking -- had to make as president?— to make as president? yes it is a critical conversation _ to make as president? yes it is a critical conversation between - to make as president? yes it is a critical conversation between the two most power. men in the world. we haven't had any information from the white house, but the government said the president said conflict is not in anyone's interest and it was his priority to end the conflict. with his actions, china sends more mixed signals and has refused to condemn the war. this attempt at trying to remain neutral has frustrated the white house and they say china needs to be on the right side of history and they would like president to use his influence with vladimir putin to end the war. there is concern, because officials believe russia has asked china for military equipment to help with the war and that china

is considering that consider. we know president biden will have warned of stern consequences if china does come to russia's aid. not least because the ever closer relationship between russia and china has been a concern for america and this war represents a critical moment in the relationship between the superpowers. moment in the relationship between the superpowers-— iam sure i am sure it's fine, i'm sure it's fine even though we lost the line to lyse doucet in ukraine. the polish border agency says two million people, mostly women and children, have fled ukraine to poland since the war began. an estimated half a million have escaped to romania and more than 350,000 to moldova. in poland, most of the refugees have ended up in the larger cities, like the capital warsaw, and it's now legalfor ukrainians to work and go to school. but some are warning that services are under extreme pressure. our europe editor, katya adler,

has sent this report, from warsaw. starting to stitch shattered lives back together. piece by painstaking piece, here in poland. natalya and her fellow seamstresses, all of them ukrainian, are trying to put on a brave face. translation: this is my third day of my newjob. l i'm so grateful for some stability after all we've been through. a sunny bridal shop is a stark contrast to the horrors back home. natalia's new polish boss says it's important to help. we feel that we need to help them. and we also know that they are very good people and very good workers. natalia is a force of nature, aided by polish generosity, keeping her and her son

on theirfeet till it's safe to go back home. vlad is one of more than 70,000 ukrainian refugees now at school in poland. teacher olga cholevska, warm and grandmotherly, clearly aches to do more. translation: there is so much trauma and we polish teachers don't know- ukrainian songs or fairy tales, - so we said the children on our lap and give them a big hug. poland has absolutely opened its arms to families from ukraine in schools, in homes, and in workplaces, as well. it is spectacular to see. but on a government level, there are accusations of hypocrisy, of double standards. that they've chosen to welcome some refugees and very much not others. remember the war in syria? the hundreds of thousands who fled to europe in 20157 the polish government and others didn't make them feel so welcome. is it fair to cry hypocrisy at the polish government7

those migrants, they wanted to go to germany, they wanted to go to france, to the united kingdom, that's the difference. ukrainians, they want to come to poland, they want to live with us and they are very much welcome to do so. a welcome perfectly performed by poland's national ballet. refugees who are professional dancers can train, eat, and sleep here. the huge influx of ukrainians to poland means housing is becoming a problem. translation: the theatre | director here welcomed me. dancing helps to calm my mind a bit. the dancers' sincere gratitude to poland is bittersweet. translation: we love our 'ob very much, of course. i we left behind our home and don't know- if we will ever come back there. katya adler, bbc news, warsaw.

i'm pleased to say we can talk to our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, who is live in kyiv. that attack on that army barracks in mykolyaiv suggests an of russia's campaign in the south? . , .. ., an of russia's campaign in the south? . , .., ., , south? -- an intensification. yes, the had south? -- an intensification. yes, they had a — south? -- an intensification. yes, they had a focus _ south? -- an intensification. yes, they had a focus on _ south? -- an intensification. yes, they had a focus on the _ south? -- an intensification. yes, they had a focus on the south - south? -- an intensification. yes, | they had a focus on the south ever since its invasion began. the south, of course, because there is geographic proximity to russia but also because of the crimean peninsula, which it occupied in 2014 provides an advantage. it's got effective fighting forces there. that is why the progress that has been made by russian forces has been a long that a southern belt. today, the focus has been mykolyaiv. we had about an attack on an army barracks north of the city. we are still getting details, two, possibly three missiles. the death toll isn't

clear, 30 but possibly more than that. it's perhaps not surprising that. it's perhaps not surprising that they have targeted the army barracks, which was being used to train soldiers. because in the last week, the ukrainian army carried out a very successful counterattack against the russian forces, which have been bombarding that city. and of course, mykolaiv lies just down the coast from mariupol, the strategic southern port city which is now a byword for suffering. indeed. lyse, thank you. lyse doucet live in kyiv. and you can follow all the latest developments on the war in ukraine by going to our online live coverage. follow it on bbc.co.uk/news or the bbc news app. the time is 6:20pm. our top story this evening: russia is intensifying its attacks across ukraine, hitting a target near the western city of lviv.

and coming up... rachael blackmore became the first female jockey to win the cheltenham gold cup. she makes history. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel: early wickets for england — as they look to limit west indies in barbados, following their sensational first innings in the second test. workers at p80 ferries have been staging protests at ports around the country, after the firm sacked 800 people, without notice. after the firm sacked the transport secretary, grant shapps, has written to the company, saying it's behaviour is "completely unacceptable". nearly a quarter of p80 ferries�* staff were told yesterday via a video message, that this was their "final day of employment". our transport correspondent katy austin has more. hundreds of people took to the streets today after the sudden sacking

of 800 p80 ferry staff. this protest in dover is one of a number taking place across the country today. another sign of the anger that is being felt by a lot of people at what's happened and the way so many workers lost theirjob. if one company can get away with doing this at such short notice to 800 people, it's nothing to stop another company doing the same thing. one of our friends, one of the guys that lost his job yesterday and the poor guy after the meeting had to go around waking up all his friends on night shift, _ he'd only had a couple hours sleep to tell them they didn't have a job. other demos took place in hull and liverpool. in hull and liverpool and larne. one long serving p&o employee said he had been unhappy about how things had been handled. he didn't want to be identified, for fear of losing his redundancy payment. we were all devastated, it was our last day of work. we were all devastated it was our last day at work. there were security staff on the vessel, they were quite

obnoxious and rude and they treated us like we were all criminals, to be honest with you, guarding the duty—free like we were going to burgle it. the company blamed its decision on unsustainable financial losses. but it's the immediate dismissal of staff without consultation that has drawn widespread criticism, including from the transport secretary today. so, now i want to take the opportunity to put on record my shock and my dismay at the insensitive and brutal treatment of its employees yesterday. sacked... sacked via a pre—recorded zoom video withjust 30 minutes notice. no way to treat employees in the 21st century. labour says the government could and should do more. the prime minister was in the uae this week meeting with the people that ultimately own the parent company dp world. he should now be making sure that they do not receive a penny of taxpayers' money going forward. he should be suspending all government licenses and contracts with both companies and clawing back

every penny that they had during the covid pandemic. while p&o services aren't running, other ferry companies are stepping in. although some degree of disruption is expected, the prime minister's official spokesman said today the government was looking closely at whether the company had acted within the rules. well, we had a new statement from south this afternoon, saying that its difficult decision to sack staff was made as i laughed the last resort. —— statement from p&o ferries. they said they were losing £1 million every day though ships aren't moving. the transport secretary, grant shapps, said he bit into the company questioning the legality of its move and he said all its contract across government are being reviewed. thank you. the former metropolitan police officer wayne couzens who was convicted of murdering sarah everard has been charged with four counts of indecent exposure. the alleged offences are said to have taken place early last year,

while he was a serving constable. the 49—year—old is currently serving a whole life sentence for raping and killing ms everard. he'll appear at westminster magistrates court next month. a15—year—old black schoolgirl who was strip searched after being wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis is to sue the metropolitan police. she was held during a school exam and searched while teachers remained outside. campaigners following the case had been holding demonstrations, calling for an end to police officers in schools. a report says racism was a likely factor and the student is also taking civil action against her school. latest figures show nearly 3.3 million people in the uk, 3.3 million people in the uk would have tested positive for covid, in the week to last saturday. that's one in every 20 people. there are a record number of cases in scotland, and the rate of infection among the over 70s in england is now the highest since the office for national statistics began collecting data.

our health correspondent, dominic hughes, has that story. at the london's king's college hospital, the wards are getting busier. already facing a huge backlog of cases, due to the pandemic, hospital admissions are on the rise, once more, following an increase in the number of people falling ill with covid. we have had a tricky week, this week, both in terms of our emergency departments, so big numbers of attends to our emergency department but also we're starting to see an increase in patients who need to be admitted and treated for coronavirus. the latest data from the ons shows covid infections are rising across most parts of the uk, jumping by more than a quarter. over half a million cases, tojust under 3.3 million. last week, scotland saw the highest infection levels in the pandemic so far. it's estimated more than 7% of the population, one in 14 people, had covid—19. it was a similar picture in northern ireland, too, also around one in 14 people but rates here have dropped

from last month's all—time high. infections also rose in england, where around one in 20 are thought to be infected and in wales, where infections equate to around one in 25 people. a surge in cases was predicted after restrictions were lifted. this latest rise, driven by the more infectious ba2 version of the omicron virus, adding to the pressure on an already hard—hit nhs. we've got many people in hospital. in fact, in some parts of the country, as many as we have ever had during the pandemic. so, what's your best guess as to what happens next, do you think? we're beginning to see some signs, perhaps in some parts of the uk but also from elsewhere in europe, for example, denmark, that we may have reached the peak of this wave. and we may start to come down the other side. certainly, in terms of infections. the good news is the number of people falling seriously ill remains relatively low. this is what we're seeing in later covid disease... i though covid is still making itself felt across the health service. we have to find space - on isolation wards for patients.

we're also starting to notice l a slight rise in staff absences, which is having an impact, . particularly as we go through our recovery phase, to reduce our waiting lists from covid. - these latest figures bear out warnings that covid is not yet done with us. and there will be further twists in this pandemic story. dominic hughes, bbc news. rachael blackmore has won the gold cup at cheltenham, the first female jockey to win the race. she's now won the champion hurdle twice, and the grand national in past 12 months. our sports correspondent, andy swiss, has more from cheltenham. trail blazer and history maker, yet another unforgettable first for rachael blackmore on a dazzling day of gold cup glory. well, some 70,000 fans flocked here for what is always one of the biggest days in racing. and after last year's gold cup had to be behind closed doors because of covid, the anticipation was greater than ever. in its near 100 year history, no female jockey had ever won the race.

but blackmore on a plus tard set off the favourite. as they approached the final fence, last year's winner minella indo led the way but not for long. as blackmore roared past and into the record books. 12 months ago, she was second, this year the most empathetic and emotional of victories. another big race for rachael blackmore! after her grand national win, another landmark moment for blackmore. cheltenham cheering her to the rafters after a victory even she could scaresly take in.