this is bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm nancy kacungira. russia intensifies its attacks across ukraine, on multiple fronts. this, the result of an airstrike in the west near the city, of lviv. in the west near the city of lviv. the mayor sums up the fears of many. translation: there are no 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 heroic deeds" in ukraine. joe biden warns his chinese counterpart about the consequences of providing material support to russia. we'll be live in washington for the latest.

and a steep rise in covid infections across the uk. close to 1 in 20 would have tested positive last week. good evening and welcome. russia is continuing its assault on multiple fronts across ukraine, with one of the latest attacks, a missile strike on an army barracks in the southern city of mykolaiv. 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. in relatively unscathed western there were no casualties. in relatively unscathed western 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. to the city, it's shaken nerves. guards were jittery, journalists shoved. "get your cameras away, or i will break them," a militia man said. people here aren't used to this. the city's 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. thousands were still arriving to escape the war. this the tunnel leading their trains west. it's 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.

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's like a horror film. there are now 200,000 displaced people in lviv and maria there are now 200,000 displaced people in lviv, and today, maria today became one of them. the war comes to lviv from everywhere. maria and her children are from the east. she's 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. translation: a new more brutal shelling started, -

the civilian population - is suffering, there is shelling allaround ukraine. i want to save the lives i of my children because we have suffered already. we travelled through the whole of ukraine, there is no - safe space any more. in lviv, they've placed these children's strollers in a central square. one for each child killed so far in this war. 109 young lives gone. and more threatened with each passing hour. fergal keane, bbc news. james reynolds is in lviv. i'v e i've just been looking at a very sobering picture of strollers representing the number of dead children. what's the situation there now? . ., , , , ., now? the curfew has 'ust begun, and if i 'ust now? the curfew has 'ust begun, and if i just pause _ now? the curfew has 'ust begun, and if i just pause for— now? the curfew has 'ust begun, and if i just pause for a — now? the curfew hasjust begun, and if i just pause for a second. _ now? the curfew hasjust begun, and if i just pause for a second. you - if ijust pause for a second. you just hear nothing. ten o'clock and

most evenings, you have people coming back from restaurants or trying to get out of the cold. here, you hear nothing. if you're at the top of the hour, you can sometimes hear the church bell tolling and that distance. 0vernight, there have been air raid sirens for the last three nights, which wake everyone else. the one this morning was followed by that cruise missile strike which hit the target about four miles from where i am. people in lviv know this has been a safe refuse, but is now under threat. tell us more about that, because the view has been a bit of a crossroads. many people from other cities going there for safety —— lviv. is there since people they are preparing for an attack? i since people they are preparing for an attack? . r' since people they are preparing for an attack? . ., , ., an attack? i asked a number of --eole an attack? i asked a number of peeple what — an attack? i asked a number of people what they _ an attack? i asked a number of people what they thought - an attack? i asked a number of people what they thought of i an attack? i asked a number of| people what they thought of the attack, and they said they were scared, but also that they weren't going to leave. remember now, live eve is a mixture of people who are

from here, and it's a mixture of people who have come here, so it is a real mix if you go on a car ride, you will hit where people consider to be safe. ~ ., ., , hit where people consider to be safe. ~ ., .,, ., safe. what do people grasp that when the look safe. what do people grasp that when they look for — safe. what do people grasp that when they look for hope? _ safe. what do people grasp that when they look for hope? what _ safe. what do people grasp that when they look for hope? what of— safe. what do people grasp that when they look for hope? what of the - they look for hope? what of the signs they look for? i they look for hope? what of the signs they look for?— they look for hope? what of the signs they look for? i think when the look signs they look for? i think when they look for _ signs they look for? i think when they look for hope, _ signs they look for? i think when they look for hope, people - signs they look for? i think when they look for hope, people here, they look for hope, people here, they perhaps look at how their army is fighting, how from their point of view, peeling a potato or a carrot and a volunteer kitchen is all part of the war effort. 0ne and a volunteer kitchen is all part of the war effort. one woman, and english teachers, said it was better to do that then to do nothing. james re nolds, to do that then to do nothing. james reynolds, thank _ to do that then to do nothing. james reynolds, thank you _ to do that then to do nothing. james reynolds, thank you very _ to do that then to do nothing. james reynolds, thank you very much. -

to do that then to do nothing. james reynolds, thank you very much. james is in lviv. alya shandra is editor in chief of the ukrainian english language website euromaidan press. shejoins me now from lviv. thank you very much for talking to us. you spent the morning and a bomb shelter. tell us about that. well. shelter. tell us about that. well, for the last _ shelter. tell us about that. well, for the last couple _ shelter. tell us about that. well, for the last couple days, - shelter. tell us about that. well, for the last couple days, we've i shelter. tell us about that. well, i for the last couple days, we've been woken up early in the morning or shortly after midnight by sirens calling us to the bomb shelters, but usually nothing followed. today, however, ten minutes after the sirens sounded, we rushed to the bomb shelter and heard explosions. 0f bomb shelter and heard explosions. of course, it was much more frightening. the announcement and the school told everybody to get in the school told everybody to get in the bomb shelter fast. the school told everybody to get in the bomb shelterfast. then the school told everybody to get in the bomb shelter fast. then we finally found out that the target that was hit was located not that far away from us. find

that was hit was located not that far away from us.— that was hit was located not that far away from us. and how would you describe the — far away from us. and how would you describe the mood _ far away from us. and how would you describe the mood in _ far away from us. and how would you describe the mood in lviv _ far away from us. and how would you describe the mood in lviv today - far away from us. and how would you describe the mood in lviv today and i describe the mood in lviv today and how has it changed over the last few days? how has it changed over the last few da s? ~ ., �* _ how has it changed over the last few das? ., �* ., days? well, i wouldn't say that the mood has changed _ days? well, i wouldn't say that the mood has changed greatly - days? well, i wouldn't say that the mood has changed greatly because lviv remains relatively untouched. we have not had civilian infrastructure destruction here in the cities, like the cities targeted every day. i would say people are, and just carry on. continuing to help the army in whatever way they can. it's really remarkable, remarkable sense of people doing what they can. i've recently been to a centre and the train station, and usually people volunteer when they have free time from work. the volunteers there say maybe they will return for their work now if they

have free time for volunteering. i would say this is really one of the dominant moves in the city that people know they have to band together, they have to keep fighting until victory. fiend together, they have to keep fighting until victory-— until victory. and have you thought about leaving _ until victory. and have you thought about leaving out _ until victory. and have you thought about leaving out all? _ until victory. and have you thought about leaving out all? well, - about leaving out all? well, currently. — about leaving out all? well, currently, no, _ about leaving out all? well, currently, no, i— about leaving out all? well, currently, no, iwant- about leaving out all? well, currently, no, i want to - about leaving out all? well, currently, no, i want to stay about leaving out all? well, i currently, no, i want to stay as much as possible because i want to cover the situation on the ground as much as i can. cover the situation on the ground as much as i can-— much as i can. well, thank you very much as i can. well, thank you very much for talking _ much as i can. well, thank you very much for talking to _ much as i can. well, thank you very much for talking to us. _ much as i can. well, thank you very much for talking to us. we - much as i can. well, thank you very much for talking to us. we really i much for talking to us. we really appreciate it. alya shandra, the editor in chief of the ukrainian english language website. we'll have more on the situation on the ground in ukraine injust a moment, but first, let's take a look at the video call today between president biden the united nations says... 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 0lena. she's 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, 0lena 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's known for 50 years. translation: he told me you've been killing russians, we did nothing. i translation: he told me, "you've been killing - "russians, we did nothing. "0ur putin is a king and a god." "0ur 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. 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. herfriend who'd 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're waiting for parents who've got to come a long way. 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. now it's completely different. 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.

let's ta ke let's take a look at the video call between president biden... and his chinese counterpart, xi jinping, about the war in ukraine. according to chinese state media, mr xi said that both china and the us had a responsibility to ensure world peace. the chinese leader did not criticise russia for invading ukraine, and suggested the conflict was not solely moscow's fault. here's the white house press secretary. here's the white house press secretary-— here's the white house press secretary. the ma'ority of this call, as secretary. the ma'ority of this can, as l h secretary. the ma'ority of this call, as i think i secretary. the majority of this call, as i think you _ secretary. the majority of this call, as i think you saw - secretary. the majority of this call, as i think you saw and i secretary. the majority of this i call, as i think you saw and heard in the call wejust call, as i think you saw and heard in the call we just did, was focused on russia's unprovoked invasion of ukraine, and the president spent the vast majority of the nearly two hours outlining the views of the us and our allies, hours outlining the views of the us and ourallies, including hours outlining the views of the us and our allies, including a detailed overview of efforts to prevent and respond to the invasion. where we've gone and why. of course, as was

always on the... he also conveyed the consequences to russia, but again, i won't provide any additional assessment. white house -ress additional assessment. white house press secretary- _ i'm joined now by howard zhang, editor of bbc chinese. thanks for talking to us. what can we read into what the leaders have said about their call? i we read into what the leaders have said about their call?— said about their call? i guess what the have said about their call? i guess what they have not _ said about their call? i guess what they have not said _ said about their call? i guess what they have not said is _ said about their call? i guess what they have not said is perhaps i said about their call? i guess what | they have not said is perhaps worth reading more. the sides have not really mentioned what they will do in practicality to end the war, although both sides said they want to see an end to the hostilities. the chinese state media are not assigning blame to russia, and at the same time, shejim payne —— 23

said you cannot clap with one hand, meaning somebody else has to be blamed —— xijinping. this is along the same line the chinese ammunition has been doing for the past few weeks. blaming the us for ignoring russia's legitimate security interest for all this time, leading russia onto what some newspapers try to allege that the us almost had a conspiracy and provoked russia to a stack —— attack. they had russia where they wanted, and another chinese state propaganda machine even wrote an article alleging us�*s pouring fuel on the fire. it

even wrote an article alleging us's pouring fuel on the fire.— pouring fuel on the fire. it sounds like you're — pouring fuel on the fire. it sounds like you're saying _ pouring fuel on the fire. it sounds like you're saying the _ pouring fuel on the fire. it sounds like you're saying the way - pouring fuel on the fire. it sounds like you're saying the way that i like you're saying the way that chinese state media have been covering the war is very different from the tone that we've heard of that the call took today between china and the usa. in that the call took today between china and the usa.— that the call took today between china and the usa. in that sense, the us, china and the usa. in that sense, the us. today's — china and the usa. in that sense, the us, today's call _ china and the usa. in that sense, the us, today's call was - china and the usa. in that sense, | the us, today's call was almost as china and the usa. in that sense, i the us, today's call was almost as a step back from the original pro—russian line. today, you can see a little bit inching away from the hard—line, but the chinese state media so far are still sticking to almost word by word repeating the moscow line. even until this day, they aren't calling it an invasion, they aren't calling it an invasion, they aren't calling it an invasion, they aren't really calling it a ukrainian struggle, they're just calling it defensive conflict, they're calling it a crisis, a

situation, but not an invasion. when president biden _ situation, but not an invasion. when president biden frames _ situation, but not an invasion. when president biden frames this - president biden frames this geopolitical moment as a tough role between autocracy and democracy, how is that relationship developed? i guess both russia and china under two strong men over the past decade and more start to feel more confident, especially after a decade where they see the west as almost falling into a complete, what they call dysfunctional state, where parties cannot agree on even some of the basic things, and i think some of the chinese scholars even joked that the west sometimes wastes more time disputing which side of the toilet people could go to and which type of pronoun they should use, rather than focus on solving their

country's essential issues. looking down at the west, what prudent and presidentjinping share, —— putin, jinping compared today's china to the rising power and called chinese... now you can look at the west at your eyesight. you don't need to look up. they're no better than us, so i guess that sentiment is echoed in moscow. because of this assessment of the west and the rising power of moscow and china, and i think the nationalist dream of bringing back the old kingdoms of empires had led them to today's autocracy. empires had led them to today's autocra . ., �* , empires had led them to today's autocra . . �*, ., ,

autocracy. that's really interesting. _ autocracy. that's really interesting. howard, . autocracy. that's really i interesting. howard, thank you so much. let's have a look at some other stories making headlines. as covid cases continue to rise in the uk, new figures from the office for national statistics estimate that one in every 20 people are infected with the virus. recent easing of restrictions and waning immunity from the vaccines could be factors behind the rise. a new sub—variant of 0micron, called ba2, is now causing most cases. joining me now is dr deepti gurdasani, clinical epidemiologist at queen mary university of london. thank you for coming on to talk to us. how surprised or concerned are you will buy this rise in numbers? not very surprised. we all know the pandemic isn't over, and we have a high transmissible variant, which is spreading across europe. it's 30—a0%

more transmissive than 0micron. we will see cases approaching in the uk towards the peak that we had in december. hospitalisations also rising in tandem. if than one would expect, but still significant. all this tells is we will continue to see disruptions unless we do something to reduce it and deal with domestic transmission, which a lot of countries including the uk seem to be giving up on by pretending the pandemic is over. it's very much here and will in fact some people. although lower with vaccines. 50. although lower with vaccines. so, what should _ although lower with vaccines. so, what should we be doing? so, i although lower with vaccines. so, i what should we be doing? so, giving u . what should we be doing? so, giving up self-isolation _ what should we be doing? so, giving up self-isolation mandates - what should we be doing? so, giving up self-isolation mandates is - what should we be doing? so, giving up self-isolation mandates is a i what should we be doing? so, giving up self-isolation mandates is a huge j up self—isolation mandates is a huge act of self harm, i think. if you have people entering public places,

that will increase transmissions. people wearing masks is also problematic. not having ventilation standards. we seem huge rises and children in schools, fuelling the spread of ba2. this needs to come from government because we cannot do this unless it's a collective responsibility supported by government, which is not happening in the uk. it's being given up in many countries, as well as testing, which will be ended in april, which means we will be blinded to the spread that's happening and also not be able to identify people who are infected and isolate them so they don't affect other people. you talked about _ don't affect other people. you talked about collective responsibility. this is a global pandemic. talk to us about the effect of the uk opening its

borders. �* , ., , ., ., borders. so, the uk's always had a reall bad borders. so, the uk's always had a really bad border _ borders. so, the uk's always had a really bad border policy _ borders. so, the uk's always had a really bad border policy that i borders. so, the uk's always had a really bad border policy that never| really bad border policy that never made sense. new variants are a huge threat. i think almost every virologist has shown that new waves will arise, virologist has shown that new waves willarise, but virologist has shown that new waves will arise, but slowing the spread makes no sense if you won't continue transmission. given how high case rates are here, i don't think easing travel restrictions at this point will make a difference, but it's not because that policy is perfect. it's just because a domestic policy is so flawed that adding one little patch to it won't stop the bread within the uk. ., , , to it won't stop the bread within theuk. ., , , , , the uk. doctor deepti, we sense your frustration. — the uk. doctor deepti, we sense your frustration, but _ the uk. doctor deepti, we sense your frustration, but thank _ the uk. doctor deepti, we sense your frustration, but thank you _ the uk. doctor deepti, we sense your frustration, but thank you very - the uk. doctor deepti, we sense your frustration, but thank you very much | frustration, but thank you very much for talking to us here. also here in britain, demonstrations have been taking place in dover, hull and liverpool after

the ferry company p&0 announced via a video message it was sacking 800 employees without any notice. the government says said it will review its contracts with p&0 ferries. the uk transport secretary has written to the company, saying its behaviour is �*completely unacceptable'. the firm said its action were necessary to secure the future of the company. a reminder that you can keep across all the developments on the russia—ukraine war by going to our website. there, we have a live page which is updated with latest reports from our correspondents on the ground. that's all on the bbc news website — or download the bbc news app. don't forget you can get in touch with me on twitter — i'm @kacungira.

it will certainly be good to hear from you. stay with us here on bbc news. thank you very much for your company and thank you for watching. we'll see you in more headlines in a short while. hello again. it's been the warmest day of the year so far. temperatures reached 17.5 degrees celsius earlier this afternoon across wiggonholt in west sussex. most of us had sunny skies like these, but there was one exception. across eastern counties of northern ireland, for a time, we had some low cloud and mist invade from the irish sea, making things a little bit cooler here for a time. 0ur weather, though, is going to be dry for an extended run thanks to this big area of high pressure that's going to be dominating our weather picture through the weekend and into next week as well. so, you can see the extent of the dry conditions we're expecting over the next several days. and it will become a good deal milder as well. temperatures could reach the high teens in both london and cardiff towards the middle of next week.

now, before we get there, overnight tonight, we're going to keep clear skies, but there's a difference compared with last night. the winds are going to be a little bit stronger, and that will have two effects. firstly, it won't be as cold. any frost will be rather more patchy and across north—eastern areas of the uk. the second effect is there'll be less mist and fog around as well. so, sunday, a lovely sunny day. lots of spring sunshine on offer, quite windy for some, but it does turn cloudier on sunday and a good deal colder as well. so, i suppose the main message is make the most of saturday's sunshine. now, there could be some mist and fog to start the day around the vale of york, perhaps eastern areas of scotland, but not lasting long at all. you can see the extent of the sunshine otherwise, but it is going to be quite a windy day, particularly across the headlands and the coasts of south west england, where gusts could reach around 40—50—odd mph. that will certainly knock the edge off the temperatures, and with the winds flowing in from the cool north sea, well, you can imagine things will be just a little bit cooler and fresher around these eastern coastal areas of both scotland and england as well, where temperatures should be around 11—12 degrees.

further west, that's where the warmer weather's going to be. i6 expected in both glasgow and also in cardiff, but it's across north west scotland that we may well see some of the higher temperatures of the day. 17 degrees on the cards. well, that would make it scotland's warmest day so far this year. now, sunday, get off to a sunny start. again, there could be a few mist and fog patches around, but it turns cloudier across eastern england. here, there'll be some showers moving in, and we could have some soft hail mixed in with some of those. a much colder feel to the weather. also probably turning quite cloudy for western counties of northern ireland. that's your weather.

this is bbc news, i'm nancy kacungira with the headlines. there are now safe and dangerous cities, today we are all under attack. at a rally in moscow, vladimir putin praises what he calls russia's heroic days. joe biden was about the consequences of china providing material support

to russia. and a steep covid infections in the uk, close to one in 20 would have tested positive last week. 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 mikolyev. reports suggest at least 45 people have been killed. 0vernight, 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.

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. here's our correspondent wyre davies on russian reports of separatists �*tightening a noose' around mariupol. those a noose' around mariupol. russian reports are biza very those russian reports are bizarrely very accurate, they are tightening their new savannah city centre, russian soldiers have been seen in streets on the outskirts. we have spoken to a family, two generations of one family, who escaped from mariupol, they described it as hell. the journey out was little with mines, with russian checkpoints, but they said they had no choice but to leave because there is no food, no water, no electricity, no heating in many parts of the city. it is freezing cold in the open, a lot of the houses, as we have heard, a lot of the buildings have been

completely smashed. more than half of the city is said to have been flattened. 300,000 people are still trapped in the city of mariupol and we have heard today from the ukrainian president saying it is impossible, it has been impossible to get humanitarian corridors into there, making it very difficult for people to escape. but those people who have escaped our interiors, they are devastated because they have had to leave many friends and family behind in pockets of the city which are completely surrounded by russian forces. there are thought to be more than 1000 people in the theatre at the time of the attack, even though the time of the attack, even though the words children were written in russian on either end of the theatre in paving slabs in big letters to deter, to make it clear to anybody attacking from the sky that they were children inside the theatre. there are still thought to be hundreds of people trapped inside the theatre. it is not clear if they are alive or dead. as i say,

conditions are absolutely freezing but because of the inability to get help there, to lift the heavy rubble, nobody knows yet how many people survived. there were said to be a bunker underneath the theatre from which some people have been rescued but with so much at the city flattened and so many emergency services unable to operate as normal, many of those survivors, if they are still alive, are having to endure these conditions and horrible, horrible conditions without people being able to get to them. but it is partly because of them. but it is partly because of the resistance of the ukrainian army and several defenders around the city that russia, russian troops weren't able to ever run it so of course they elected to flatten it as we have seen previously in previous campaigns in chechnya and syria, russia has flattened the city, 80% of the buildings that we have heard have been damaged. earlier we heard from viktoria elliot, whose mother is in mariupol. she was saying that she could hear

some explosion far away and they didn't have electricity already and the water supply was cut off but she wrote to me in a message saying that she was able to feel the bath —— fill the bath with water, because she lives on the ground floor of a five—storey building, block of flats, so all remaining waterjust naturally float downwards. and the second method she was able to send to me saying that the bombing is so loud that the water in the bathroom which is inside the apartment is trembling. and since then, i didn't hear anything what is happening. is

she even alive? just nothing. that must be really _ she even alive? just nothing. that must be really awful. _ she even alive? just nothing. that must be really awful. how have you been trying to make contact? have you been trying to reach out to other people in mariupol perhaps? i have tried calling my mum. i have tried calling neighbours. i was trying to speak to people who i know. but since the 2nd of march, i was unable to make contact with anyone. because there is no connection. 50 anyone. because there is no connection-— anyone. because there is no connection. , ., , , connection. so there is absolutely no wa to connection. so there is absolutely no way to know — connection. so there is absolutely no way to know what _ connection. so there is absolutely no way to know what is _ connection. so there is absolutelyj no way to know what is happening with your mother, where she is, what she is doing. ha. how are you coping she is doing. no. how are you coping with she is doing. tin. how are you coping with the stress? this must be really stressful for you.

with the stress? this must be really stressfulfor you. i with the stress? this must be really stressful for you.— stressful for you. i couldn't believe it. _ stressful for you. i couldn't believe it. then _ stressful for you. i couldn't believe it. then i— stressful for you. i couldn't believe it. then i was i stressful for you. i couldn't i believe it. then i was stressed. stressful for you. i couldn't - believe it. then i was stressed. and last week i had covid, wasn't feeling well. and now ijust... everything froze inside of me. and i can cry or i cannot cry. when i want to cry, i cannot cry. but then i can cry from just a single —— a simple picture on tv. i speak a lot with my friend who lives in munich and she has her 75—year—old mother in exactly the same position, and she knows absolutely nothing about her. it is just a nightmare. knows absolutely nothing about her. it isjust a nightmare. that knows absolutely nothing about her. it isjust a nightmare.— it isjust a nightmare. that was victoria elliott _ it isjust a nightmare. that was victoria elliott speaking - it isjust a nightmare. that was victoria elliott speaking to i it isjust a nightmare. that was victoria elliott speaking to me | victoria elliott speaking to me earlier, her mother was in mariupol and she had not been able to reach her.

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 public speech to a packed stadium in moscow. 0ur 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. vladimir putin! it was president putin out in the middle. 0n the anniversary of russia's annexation of crimea, he gave a pep talk to his people about events in ukraine. translation: we can see how our soldiers are acting and fighting in this operation. shoulder to shoulder they help and support one another. but what happens to russians who call it an unjust war? this. the letter z and 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 pro—western some. she fears that from now on, anyone disagreeing with the authorities will be treated as an enemy of the state. translation: 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. 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.

amid the ongoing war — it seems to be business as usual in space travel. three russian cosmonauts have arrived at the international space station after blasting off from kazakhstan earlier today. their soyuz capsule docked has docked with the space station in orbit, and in a few days time will return to earth carrying two cosmonauts and a us astronaut who's spent more than 356 days in space. that's despite concern that tensions between america and russia over the war in ukraine might lead to a breakdown in collaboration between the two countries. joining me now is rich cooper, vice president of space foundation — an american non—profit which supports education and collaboration for space exploration.

thanks for talking to us. help us understand fashion dole —— festival, what this mission is about. is it fairly standard stuff? this what this mission is about. is it fairly standard stuff?— fairly standard stuff? this is standard and _ fairly standard stuff? this is standard and it _ fairly standard stuff? this is standard and it is _ fairly standard stuff? this is standard and it is part i fairly standard stuff? this is standard and it is part of i fairly standard stuff? this is i standard and it is part of more fairly standard stuff? this is - standard and it is part of more than 20 years of consecutive operations on the international space station with united states, russia, and its other international partners. isirsi’hszat other international partners. what about future _ other international partners. what about future collaboration? this is fairly standard but going forward, even as russia and the us continue to negotiate relations over what is happening in ukraine, are there any worries about what might happen? there are certainly concerned that what is going on in the world. these are not what we would like to consider normal times. there are normal relationships which go on with the persons who have been working in the day—to—day operations of the international space station.

from a working level, the united states and russia, as well as its international partners, this is something that has been going on for decades, starting with the shuttle programme when nasa and its russian partners really started to learn and understand how to work together in space because working together in space because working together in space literally saves lives, it saves the lives of all of those crew and it is a very dependent relationship, one that is built, certainly, built on talent and respect and certainly built on capability. respect and certainly built on capability-— respect and certainly built on caabili . ., ., , , capability. you are emphasising the im ortance capability. you are emphasising the importance of— capability. you are emphasising the importance of collaboration - capability. you are emphasising the importance of collaboration but i importance of collaboration but there was the news, wasn't there, an announcement this week that russia would separate on a particular mars mission, tell us about that. yes. mission, tell us about that. yes, the announcement _ mission, tell us about that. yes, the announcement that - mission, tell us about that. yes, the announcement that came i mission, tell us about that. 1653 the announcement that came out as an outgrowth of some decisions that the russian space agency made as far as removing his personnel from some facilities that they had overseas,

and the european space agency subsequently made the decision to separate from what is called the x0 mars mission. that particular mission was a joint partnership with other organisations and the partner nations are looking to other alternatives as to how they can complete that mission without the russian partnership. . complete that mission without the russian partnership.— complete that mission without the russian partnership. . how much of this could be _ russian partnership. . how much of this could be an _ russian partnership. . how much of this could be an impact _ russian partnership. . how much of this could be an impact in _ russian partnership. . how much of this could be an impact in the i this could be an impact in the longer term, for instance, will scientist up to look at perhaps more commercial options there are 90 countries today that are operating in space. and on top of those 90 countries, you have hundreds, if not thousands, of companies. and that is an incredible new dynamic that is in this global space ecosystem, and that is what it has become. a global space ecosystem

with government, commercial, research, all of these parties playing a role in space. while there is certainly competition between nations and companies, there are also options that countries and companies can explore to do the things that they want to do in orbit or beyond. things that they want to do in orbit or be ond. , , ., ~ or beyond. very interesting, thank ou. the us president has been speaking to his chinese counterpart about the war in ukraine. joe biden outlined the consequences of china providing material support to russia during the two—hour call. president xi has not condemned russia's invasion. but he told mr biden that the fighting was "in no—one's interest". for more on this, i'm nowjoined by timothy heath in washington. he is a senior international defense researcher at the rand corporation. thanks for coming to talk to us. first of all, what did you make of what came out of this rather long to

our phone call between the two leaders? i our phone call between the two leaders? ~ . ., , ., , leaders? i think washington is concerned _ leaders? i think washington is concerned that _ leaders? i think washington is concerned that the _ leaders? i think washington is concerned that the chinese i concerned that the chinese government may be considering —— providing some support to russia and if china does that, that could encourage russia to continue the war. i think the call by president biden was an attempt to warn the chinese that taking such actions would result in a serious deterioration in the relationship with united states and western countries. ., ., , with united states and western countries. . . , . countries. so, an attempt was made to ass on countries. so, an attempt was made to pass on a — countries. so, an attempt was made to pass on a warning? _ countries. so, an attempt was made to pass on a warning? how- countries. so, an attempt was made to pass on a warning? how was i countries. so, an attempt was made to pass on a warning? how was that| to pass on a warning? how was that warning received, do you think? the chinese, i warning received, do you think? tue: chinese, i think, warning received, do you think? tte: chinese, ithink, got warning received, do you think? t'te: chinese, i think, got the warning received, do you think? tte: chinese, ithink, got the message. chinese, i think, got the message. certainly, they are not going to abandon russia, which is one of the most important strategic partners for china, but the phone call reminded the chinese government and president xijinping reminded the chinese government and president xi jinping that the economic interest of china ultimately is far more important with the united states and europe

than china's economic relationship with russia. and, therefore, the us and other western countries are watching closely how china reacts to this crisis. has watching closely how china reacts to this crisis. �* , ., ., , this crisis. as important as those ties are, china _ this crisis. as important as those ties are, china still— this crisis. as important as those ties are, china still has _ this crisis. as important as those ties are, china still has not i ties are, china still has not condemned russia's invasion of ukraine. how much longer can china remain neutral? that ukraine. how much longer can china remain neutral?— remain neutral? that is a good question- _ remain neutral? that is a good question. china _ remain neutral? that is a good question. china is _ remain neutral? that is a good question. china is in _ remain neutral? that is a good question. china is in a - remain neutral? that is a good question. china is in a very i question. china is in a very difficult position. its interests are contradictory, as we just mentioned. china's economic interest overwhelmingly lay with the west. however, its political and operatic and security interests are closely tied to russia. to date, china has tried to walk a narrow tight rope balancing between these narrow interests but it is under growing pressure from the us to ultimately side with the west and at least call for an end to the war and pressure

moscow to end the fighting. there were some — moscow to end the fighting. there were some worry _ moscow to end the fighting. there were some worry that _ moscow to end the fighting. there were some worry that the - moscow to end the fighting. there were some worry that the situation in ukraine can inspire china to head into tie one? do you think that is justified? t into tie one? do you think that is 'ustified? ., �* ~' into tie one? do you think that is 'ustified? ., �* ~ , justified? i don't think the chinese are seriously _ justified? i don't think the chinese are seriously contemplating i justified? i don't think the chinese are seriously contemplating an i are seriously contemplating an invasion of taiwan right now, for several reasons. first off, china and russia but my positions are very different. russia has been focused on its border areas for many years and thought numerous conflicts. it doesn't really have a grander admission for how the world should change in the way that china does with is vision of the road initiative and the global leadership. china is also a very powerful economy with a lot of partners around the world. china was to maintain good relations with many of these countries and there is no real pressing need for china to consider invading taiwan. given the risk of a potential us involvement

and escalation, the cause and risk of an attack on taiwan do not seem to justify, of an attack on taiwan do not seem tojustify, regardless of an attack on taiwan do not seem to justify, regardless of what russia is experiencing. and i might add that as before russia even invaded ukraine. russia's experience has been very shocking and i think the chinese military is watching the poor performance of the russian military and thinking hard about how ready their military is, given how much the chinese have imitated the russians and used russian military equipment. russians and used russian military ea-uiment. , ., ., , equipment. given how the war is auoin and equipment. given how the war is going and russia's _ equipment. given how the war is going and russia's close - going and russia's close relationship with china, what do we really know about what russia might be asking china for at this stage? we don't have a lot of details available in public. by the kinds of things that i suspect the russians may be asking from the chinese may be parts and supplies for some of their military equipment that they have in common with the chinese, may

be parts for aircraft or vehicles, tanks, the chinese have imitated russian equipment and reverse engineered many of those kinds of platforms and would have available extra parts. he may ask for munitions, given the intense combat. i think the chinese would probably hesitate anything high—profile such as actual aircraft or vehicles that would clearly be identified by the world as chinese equipment being involved in war. but something more low profile, easier to hide, i think, you know, that might be something the chinese are open to, though again we don't have a lot of details available.— details available. very good to get our details available. very good to get your insights. _ details available. very good to get your insights, timothy, _ details available. very good to get your insights, timothy, thank i details available. very good to get| your insights, timothy, thank you. timothy heath from the macro corporation.

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. 0ur europe editor, katya adler, has sent this report, from warsaw. starting to stitch shattered lives back together. piece by painstaking piece, here in poland. natalia 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 their feet till it's safe to go back home. vlad is one of more than 70,000 ukrainian refugees now at school in poland. teacher 0lga cholewka, 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, i 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 2015? the polish government and others didn't make them feel so welcome. is it fair to cry hypocrisy at the polish government? 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 willj ever come back there. katya adler, bbc news, warsaw. the uk media regulator has revoked the licence of the broadcaster, rt — which used to be known as russia today. 0fcom said it did not consider the russian—backed television station to be "fit and proper". the company complained it had been "falselyjudged", and said the british public had been robbed of access to information. 0ur media editor amol rajan has the background we live in an age of permanent information war and it has escalated pretty dramatically. rt is a state

broadcaster, that means it is funded by and serves the state and there is an important distinction between a state broadcaster and public broadcaster like the bbc, which is meant to serve the public. an rts run by an organisation that is funded by the kremlin. in this country, in britain, we have a system of independent regulation, we have independent regulations like 0fcom which regulate the media and under 0fcom rules, you can be funded by a state but you cannot be controlled by a political body. not so long ago, the chinese backed channel over here was taken down by 0fcom because it was controlled by a vertical body. in the context of what is happening in ukraine, the feeling that 0fcom has is that rt being ultimately controlled by a company that is controlled by the kremlin is an arm at state

propaganda. kremlin is an arm at state propaganda-— kremlin is an arm at state --roa~anda. ,, , ., “ propaganda. stay with us here on bbc news. hello again. it's been the warmest day of the year so far. temperatures reached 17.5 degrees celsius earlier this afternoon across wiggonholt in west sussex. most of us had sunny skies like these, but there was one exception. across eastern counties of northern ireland, for a time, we had some low cloud and mist invade from the irish sea, making things a little bit cooler here for a time. 0ur weather, though, is going to be dry for an extended run thanks to this big area of high pressure that's going to be dominating our weather picture through the weekend and into next week as well. so, you can see the extent of the dry conditions we're expecting over the next several days. and it will become a good deal milder as well. temperatures could reach the high teens in both london and cardiff towards the middle of next week. now, before we get there,

overnight tonight, we're going to keep clear skies, but there's a difference compared with last night. the winds are going to be a little bit stronger, and that will have two effects. firstly, it won't be as cold. any frost will be rather more patchy and across north—eastern areas of the uk. the second effect is there'll be less mist and fog around as well. so, sunday, a lovely sunny day. lots of spring sunshine on offer, quite windy for some, but it does turn cloudier on sunday and a good deal colder as well. so, i suppose the main message is make the most of saturday's sunshine. now, there could be some mist and fog to start the day around the vale of york, perhaps eastern areas of scotland, but not lasting long at all. you can see the extent of the sunshine otherwise, but it is going to be quite a windy day, particularly across the headlands and the coasts of south west england, where gusts could reach around 40—50—odd mph. that will certainly knock the edge off the temperatures, and with the winds flowing in from the cool north sea, well, you can imagine things will be just a little bit cooler and fresher around these eastern coastal areas of both scotland and england as well, where temperatures should be around 11—12 degrees. further west, that's where the warmer weather's going to be.

16 expected in both glasgow and also in cardiff, but it's across north west scotland that we may well see some of the higher temperatures of the day. 17 degrees on the cards. well, that would make it scotland's warmest day so far this year. now, sunday, get off to a sunny start. again, there could be a few mist and fog patches around, but it turns cloudier across eastern england. here, there'll be some showers moving in, and we could have some soft hail mixed in with some of those. a much colder feel to the weather. also probably turning quite cloudy for western counties of northern ireland. that's your weather.

i'm nada tawfik in new york and this is bbc world news america. russia intensifies its attacks on multiple fronts in ukraine. air strikes target a jet repair facilityjust six kilometres from lviv�*s city centre, where thousands of refugees have fled to. the mayor sums up his fear. translation: there are no safe and dangerous cities. _ today, we are all under attack. in the capital, kyiv, we report on the surrogate babies who are separated from their parents because of the war. vladimir putin has told a huge rally in moscow that russian soldiers are "heroes" fighting "genocide" in ukraine. some in the audience said they'd been pressured to attend. president biden warns xi jinping of consequnces if china

supports russia in its war in ukraine in a nearly