both inside ukraine and the countries on its borders, welcome back to bbc news. the bbc�*s teams on the frontlines, both inside ukraine and the countries on its borders, give a day—by—day analysis of the critical moments in this conflict in ukraine: reporting from the frontlines. a warning — this programme includes images you mind find distressing. three weeks in, and despite the continuing diplomacy, kyiv is a city on edge. nowhere is safe. this russian aggression is spreading westwards towards lviv — until now, a relatively safe city.

and after 18 days, this missile attack on ukraine's international center for peacekeeping and security, a0 km north of lviv and 20 from the polish border, well, that marked an escalation. many are trapped in cities under heavy bombardment, and ukraine is facing a deepening humanitarian catastrophe. as the conflict enters its 19th day, russia's forces step up their campaign to capture ukraine's major cities. siren wails. here in kyiv, the sounds of artillery and sirens are ever—present. russian troops are on the outskirts of the capital and getting closer. at least one person dies and 12 are injured after a russian air strike on a block of flats in the north of kyiv. jeremy bowen witnesses the aftermath in a city feeling this war more and more.

this is the nightmare for the city. more attacks like this, and of course, they're vulnerable to missile strikes. but kyiv is big and it's sprawling, and the defenders have many advantages, which they're using. problems for the russians include rivers, notjust the mighty dnipro running through kyiv, but its tributaries and large areas of marshland that can hold up and bog down armies. at their headquarters, the generals running kyiv�*s defence invited us to their war room, and they sounded confident, like their president. they're tracking the two main russian thrusts — from the east and from the northwest, which they said are being attacked and have barely moved. we've heard a lot about this long russian convoy that was to the northwest of the city. what's happened to that? translation: that was a week ago, the big

column, our military hit it. they moved a bit, but they never did anything that we felt in kyiv. what do you think the russians actually want to do with the city? do they want to come into the city and conquer it or do they want to encircle it? maybe they want to encircle the city, but i don't think they have enough soldiers, and they understand that in kyiv, around 20,000 people have received weapons, and the city's fortified — attacking will cost them very large losses. but the russians have not turned anything like their full force on this capital city yet. an evacuation convoy of 160 cars is finally able to leave the embattled southern city of mariupol, which has been under ferocious russian bombardment. but it's a drop in the ocean, in a city of nearly half a million people. for those who remain,

conditions are described as apocalyptic, with bodies in the streets and shortages of food, water and medicine. mariupol is a big, important city and the russians need to capture it to help their advance here into southern ukraine. and their tactics are becoming brutally familiar. if you can't seize a city, then simply flatten it, whatever the cost in human lives. since the beginning of this war, russia has launched an unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression and protesters. instagram, one of the last platforms for russians to express their opposition to the invasion, is blocked, and the main news programme on russia's channel one is disrupted by an audacious protest against the war. in russia, tv is tightly controlled to transmit the kremlin line, but look what happened tonight, live on the main evening news, a woman runs onto the set to condemn

russia's onslaught in ukraine. she's marina ovsyannikova, a channel one editor. her sign reads, "no war. stop the war. don't believe the propaganda. they're lying to you here. russians against war." before her protest, she'd recorded this message. russia was committing a crime in ukraine, she said, and vladimir putin was responsible. quite extraordinary. i have never seen anything like that here, and what it shows is that despite the kremlin�*s almost total control of the media, it's still struggling to persuade some people within the system that what the kremlin is doing is right. as for marina ovsyannikova, she has reportedly been detained by police, and the tv channel, channel one russia, has launched an internal investigation.

three weeks ago, 44 million people lived in ukraine. now 1.7 million of them, mostly women and children, have escaped to poland. in the last 19 days, the population of the capital, warsaw, has increased by a staggering 15%. katya adler is there to meet the volunteers who've stepped in to welcome refugees. train by train, wave after wave of refugees makes its way to warsaw as long as russia's onslaught continues, an army of polish volunteers open their hearts and homes since the start of the crisis. by now, they tell us they're pretty overwhelmed. translation: i've seen fellow volunteers fainting from exhaustion. we need the authorities to step in and get organised. slowly, refugee centres are setting up here now, and the eu has promised funds,

but not enough, says warsaw's mayor. the number of inhabitants of my city increased by 15% and we are doing everything we can to help. but slowly we are becoming overwhelmed. we need a european and international response. all the west says it wants to help ukrainians, but it's neighbouring poland that feels like a first responder, very much in the eye of the storm. and on two fronts, this ever—growing influx of refugees seeking safety and an ever—growing concern amongst poles that russia's aggression in ukraine could spread here over the border. translation: what vladimir putin is doing here in ukraine is part of a geopolitical plan.

we have to help ukrainians because they're fighting for our freedom, too. the 20th day of a deepening conflict, and here in kyiv, the mayor warns the city is facing a difficult and dangerous moment afterfive people are killed in russian air strikes overnight. from the evening onwards, a 35—hour curfew is imposed. kyiv is a city living on its nerves. for the second day running, kyiv has woken up to this — this is a residential building, there's no sign of anything else around except blocks of flats. there is a real sense that the danger, the conflict, is coming closer, and a feeling here now that nowhere is safe. four people were killed here in their own homes. svetlana, who is russian and horrified by moscow's attacks, is worried for her friend. translation: i saw from my window

the building was on fire. my friend lives on the 14th floor. i assume she's dead because she was bedridden. many people lived in the building, she says. "some left. "i'm very sorry i didn't leave this place earlier." and this, too, is part of ukraine's new normal. the funeral of a soldier killed resisting the russians. colonel valeriy gudz was mourned in his hometown outside kyiv. there is grief over the losses in battle. still, ukrainians are standing firm, united in sorrow.

northwest of kyiv, ukrainian troops fight to slow the advance of russian forces, but they are making headway to the south. russia claims it's now in control of the entire region of kherson. andrew harding spoke to some of the residents trapped nearby in the city itself. in a city under russian occupation, another display of public fury. the citizens of kherson hurling insults at russian troops. we are against the russian invasion. we can't reach the city right now, but a local teacher agreed to film for us... look, it's almost the entire city's here. ..describing what it's like to confront russian soldiers. i was crying to them, go home, go to your mum. and did they reply? two were laughing.

i was really furious. so then ijust cried out some curse words to them. usually i don't. away from the protests, empty shelves at some local supermarkets, but for now, there is still food to be found here. remarkably, ukrainians are still in control of the mayor's office, for now. you can hear shelling outside, says the deputy mayor. "not far away, but we're getting used to it. "the russians have allowed us to keep working, but it's not clear how long that will last." western countries apply more sanctions to increase the pressure on moscow. talks between ukraine and russia continue, and ukraine's president hints at what might form part

of any future negotiated settlement. translation: ukraine is not a member of nato. we have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could notjoin. it's a truth and it must be recognised. meanwhile, russia's foreign minister sets out some of moscow's demands. translation: the neutral military status of ukraine, security guarantees for all participants, the demilitarisation of ukraine so that no threats to the russian federation ever come from its territory. as this war intensifies, the diplomacy is intensifying, too, but it has to be said that for all the talk of cautious optimism, possible compromise at the ukrainian—russian negotiating table, there is still no strong signal from moscow, from president putin, that this war is going to end any time soon. the country's now endured three long weeks of war,

and for those here in the capital, the battle is getting closer. for the third consecutive morning, residential blocks bear the brunt of continued shelling from the west, along with the people who live in them. here, two were injured, 35 had to be evacuated. most of the city is underground, waiting for a day and a half curfew to finally end. the language of diplomacy between russia and ukraine is shifting, but russia has many red lines in this crisis. and the sounds of war here are louder than the statements. the russian foreign minister talks of hope of compromise. the question is, who is going to be doing the compromising? president zelensky addresses a joint session of the us congress, calling again for a no—fly zone and for more military aid, including fighterjets. speaking in english, he makes an impassioned plea

to president biden. you are the leader of the nation, of a great nation. i wish you to be the leader of the world. being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. applause. what's at stake here are the principles that the united states and the united nations across the world stand for. it's about freedom. it's about the right of people to determine their own future. it's about making sure ukraine never, will never be a victory for putin. hours later, president biden denounces vladimir putin asa warcriminal. no, i think he is a war criminal. western ukraine has escaped relatively unscathed so far. for weeks, it's been

a sanctuary for the displaced, those fleeing bombardment. lviv, though, has been a city getting ready for an attack. jonah fischer met volunteers going through a crash course in weapons handling. we've been invited to a school building in lviv to see volunteers being given a crash course in handling a gun. lecia, a grandmother, is here with her architect husband, yuri. we need to be prepared. translation: normally, i wouldn't even point a gun at an animal, but this is now time to learn how to hold weapons and shoot them. as one by one, the volunteers take their turn, we're interrupted by the awful soundtrack of this war. siren wails. so you just hear there the air raid siren has gone off. some people are leaving, some people are carrying on.

in the basement, those on the gun course mingle with the local children and mums that have decided not to flee ukraine. we find a doctor at lviv hospital. she's at the training. herjob is to save lives, but she says she's now ready to kill. i stay here whatever, and i defend under bombing, under different military troops and i say under fire. and you're ready to pull the trigger on that gun if it comes to that? if i have no choice, yes. when the all—clear sounds, were invited by yuri and lecia back to their apartment

to see their new guns. it's normally for hunting. it's sad. it's very sad. sometimes this seems like a bad dream. it's not right. this shouldn't be happening. how many russian soldiers have been killed in what the kremlin still refuses to call a war? it's a criminal offence in russia to quote anything but official figures. steve rosenberg looks at the human cost of putin's conflict. many russians rally around their leader in times of crisis. it's as if they don't want to believe their president may have taken a fatal decision. we're doing the right thing, nikolai says.

"nato wanted to set up shop right next to us in ukraine, and they've got nuclear weapons. well done, putin, for stopping them." the kremlin wants russians to believe that what their troops are doing in ukraine is both necessary and heroic. it's what the state media is telling them from morning till night because if people stop believing that in large numbers, they'll start wondering why sons, brothers and husbands have been sent into ukraine for what's being called here the special military operation. the father is wondering why — he recently delivered an anti—war sermon, and he criticised the kremlin�*s offensive on the church website. he was detained and fined under a new law for discrediting the russian armed forces. translation: i believe that any bloodshed, however you try to justify it,

isa sin. blood is on the hands of the person who spilled it. if an order was given, it's on the hands of whoever gave the order, supported it or stayed silent. on his finaljourney, full military honours for soldier, mikhail. his country calls him a defender of the fatherland. and yet it was russia's army that attacked ukraine on the orders of president putin, to restore russian power and to force ukraine into russia's orbit. but at what cost?

as the conflict enters its 22nd day, ukraine's second city, kharkiv, is in ruins. most residents have fled, but despite heavy bombardment, local fighters continue to hold off the russia advance. quentin somerville is embedded with ukrainian forces. 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. konstantin, 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. again, they failed. so it's taking the frustration with artillery, but we just can hear it. notjust in the front lines, the entire population of kharkiv. a russian missile screeches above us. in this crater, six ukrainian soldiers died in a single strike. and away from the front, no neighbourhood is safe. 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. survivors emerge from the bombing of a theatre in the already devastated and besieged city of mariupol. but rescuers are struggling to reach those still trapped under the rubble. president zelensky accuses russia of deliberately targeting the theatre, which was being used as a shelter. russia denies carrying out the attack. officials in kyiv say russia is carrying out a genocide. so the intention of russian aggressors 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 died. the city of lviv, well away from the main battle zones in the east and south of the country, awakes to a series of explosions. a large plume of smoke can be seen near the international airport. the authorities here are saying that an aircraft repair plant or maintenance centre was hit, not the actual airport itself. the authorities say that no—one was working at the plant at the time, but one person sustained medium injuries. what we don't know is what kind of aircraft they might have been repairing. we would guess that russia is trying to go after any infrastructure of ukraine's, potentially including aircraft that ukraine might use in order to fight russia. russia's aggression in ukraine has turned millions of lives upside down, and with each day, the conflict moves a step closer

to the west. while russian forces continue to be frustrated by the level of ukrainian defence, the question is, for how much longer? hello there. it certainly has been a glorious start to the weekend. hardly a cloud in the sky out there at the moment. take a look at suffolk from a few hours ago. a beautiful scene here along the coast, but there is a nagging easterly breeze which willjust take the edge off the feel of the weather through this afternoon. a different story, though, further north and west and in highland, absolutely beautiful this morning. here is where we could see

the highest values as we go through the afternoon. it is this area of high pressure keeping things pretty quiet. it is drifting off into scandinavia and so that is where we have more of a squeeze on the isobars. stronger winds around the edge of that high pressure and it's coming from an easterly direction, a coolish source at this time of year. there will not be much in the way of cloud at all. we keep the blue sky and the sunshine and because the wind direction is coming in from the east, that could have an impact because the sea temperatures at this time of year are on the cool side. here they are, around seven or eight degrees. so the wind direction widely around 25 to 30 miles an hour, but we have seen gusts of wind so far today in excess of a0 miles an hour across the channel coast and the south west. so, here, temperatures perhaps around nine to 12 degrees. further west, across england and wales, we will see 16, but it could be that the highest temperatures today will be across western scotland and highland, where we could see 17, possibly 18 degrees.

if we get 18 degrees, that will be the warmest day of the year so far. high pressure stays with us tonight. the isobars open up just a touch and the winds will fall lighter. we keep more cloud out to the west, so temperatures holding up, but in central and eastern areas, we could see temperatures low enough for a touch of light frost, maybe some patchy mist around, as well. on the whole, as we go into sunday, we keep that dry theme, but it could be a little bit colder and there could be more in the way of cloud around, as well. some early morning mist and fog across the north east and, as we go through the day, east anglia and south—east england could see more cloud drifting in and a few nuisance showers by the end of the afternoon. temperatures through sunday afternoon nine to 13 degrees, but the dry weather is here to stay and, if you haven't already heard, it is going to continue to warm up, particularly through the middle part of the week, with temperatures at mid—to—high teens, perhaps 20 degrees somewhere

in the south east by wednesday.

good afternoon. ukraine's president has called for comprehensive peace talks with russia "without delay". volodymyr zelensky also accused russian troops of causing a "humanitarian disaster" in the besieged city of mariupol. the mayor of the eastern city says street fighting is hampering efforts to rescue hundreds of people trapped inside the basement of a theatre that officials say was bombed

by russia on wednesday. our correspondent jonah fisher reports.