this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lukwesa burak. our top stories... the russian invasion of ukraine continues — trapped for 30 hours under rubble, after shelling in the city of mykolaiv, a ukrainian soldier is pulled out alive. very tense here — it looks like somebody heard planes overhead. i heard some explosions and the soldiers told us to leave very quickly, which is what we're doing now. 80% of buildings in the port city of mariupol have been damaged by the russian assault. those who've managed to get out have been describing what they've fled. translation: there is no mariupol. we sat in a cellar for ten days and did not leave once.

we neither had water or electricity. and i'm james reynolds live in the city of lviv — with the latest from inside ukraine. two former british prime ministers join calls for a new nuremberg—style tribunal, to investigate vladimir putin for his actions in ukraine. welcome to bbc news. 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 stregically important port 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. let's get the latest on the ground — my colleague, james reynolds, is in the western city of lviv. hi, thank you so much. and good evening _ hi, thank you so much. and good evening from lviv, where a curfew is now in_ evening from lviv, where a curfew is now in place — evening from lviv, where a curfew is now in place. it is late at night, and here — now in place. it is late at night, and here in_ now in place. it is late at night, and here in this city it is utterly quiet — and here in this city it is utterly quiet. just— and here in this city it is utterly quiet. just a few seconds ago, i heard _ quiet. just a few seconds ago, i heard the — quiet. just a few seconds ago, i heard the solemn, steady toll of church _ heard the solemn, steady toll of church bells that i wouldn't be able to hear— church bells that i wouldn't be able to hear in _ church bells that i wouldn't be able to hear in normal times because people _ to hear in normal times because people would still have been in the streets. _ people would still have been in the streets, but right now the safest place _ streets, but right now the safest place for — streets, but right now the safest place for people to be is inside, either— place for people to be is inside, either in — place for people to be is inside, either in their houses or if there are air— either in their houses or if there are air raid _ either in their houses or if there are air raid sirens here, in their hasemehts_ are air raid sirens here, in their basements are in their shelters, as they weit— basements are in their shelters, as they wait to — basements are in their shelters, as they wait to find out where this conflict — they wait to find out where this conflict will take them next. their attention— conflict will take them next. their attention and now our attention turns— attention and now our attention turns to — attention and now our attention turns to the southern city of mykolaiv. it has been a rush on target — mykolaiv. it has been a rush on target as— mykolaiv. it has been a rush on target as russia attempts to advance in the _

target as russia attempts to advance in the southern part of the country. my colleague has spent the day in mykolaiw — hunting for survivors in the ruins of a ukrainian army base. it's believed 200 soldiers were in these buildings when russian missiles struck. ukrainian officials aren't saying how many died here, but local sources have told us it could be well over 100. and then, suddenly, a survivor is found. after 30 hours under the rubble, in freezing temperatures. his name unknown for now, most likely a local recruit fighting for a city that is taking a hammering. and then it is time to move, fast. come on, guys. let's go. the sound ukrainians have come to dread.

very tense here. it looks like somebody heard planes overhead. i heard some explosions and soldiers told us to leave very quickly, which is what we are doing now. a few minutes later, the all clear, but nerves are wearing thin in mykolaiv, the front line for russia's black sea offensive. translation: i can't tell you how scared we are. l we all live in the cellar now. when the bombs hit the army base, everything shook. and everyone's phones are filling up with pictures of their cities' agonies. along the coast, a glimpse of how much worse things could still get. this is mariupol, or what's left of it. besieged by russia, hundreds of thousands of people are still trapped in the city, heavy fighting means no way out for them and no way to bring in food or water. back in mykolaiv, another air raid siren and the knowledge that russia is notjust looking to kill

ukrainian soldiers. as we've seen today, the russians are sometimes targeting purely military sites — but more often than not it's civilian neighbourhoods like this one that are getting hit. nine people who were queueing on a street outside these shops were killed a few days ago by a russian bombardment. just two blocks away, andrei is trying to clear up after this. by chance, he and his family were away when the bomb hit. translation: this isn't a war between armies, l the russians are trying to destroy us all. and nearby, at the army base, the search for more sui’vivoi’s goes on. andrew harding, bbc news, in mykolaiv, southern ukraine. as someone said they are, "we all

live in the cellar now, and across this country many people will be taking refuge in their cellars, their basements or their shelters, and many were constructed decades ago, in soviet times, when this area thought it might have potential threats from different enemies. now, times have changed but there is shelters are still in place. . orla guerinjoined one family in their shelter. the nightly routine as the curfew to send, they seek refuge below ground in kyiv. we cannot say exactly where. some are glued to the radio. like a scene from wars gone by. and they bed down in darkness. forced into the shadows.

our guide is zoe, a teacher and translator driven from her own bed by russian attacks. they bombed the city close to my apartment. at five o'clock in the morning, i got up like crazy, i did not know what to do, it was frightening. the building was shaking like this, and after that, i decided to come here. i'm sorry. before i watched it only in the movies. of the second world war started. the movies about it, but now we are in this reality. in a makeshift bedroom nearby, another echo of the past — a discarded lenin. many believe vladimir putin is trying to drag ukraine and europe back to the dark days

of the soviet era. at the dinner table, the discussion among friends and neighbours is about the defences around the city. and there are other worries here. like what to tell the children. julia says her six—year—old keeps asking questions. "we tell her she has to cope for a little while and we hug her and kiss her," she says. then it's bed time. mother and daughter counting sheep. a familiar ritual in a time of danger and uncertainty. orla guerin, bbc news.

how, then, does this war end? president — how, then, does this war end? president zelensky suggests war ends through— president zelensky suggests war ends through agreement, and to that end he suggested face—to—face talks with his russian— he suggested face—to—face talks with his russian counterpart, vladimir putin _ his russian counterpart, vladimir putin they— his russian counterpart, vladimir putin. they haven't held those talks yet. putin. they haven't held those talks yet what _ putin. they haven't held those talks yet. what chance is there of those talks _ yet. what chance is there of those talks ever — yet. what chance is there of those talks ever happening? our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet. _ international correspondent, lyse doucet. is — international correspondent, lyse doucet, is also in kyiv. well, there's a lot of talk about peace talks, that's what can be said. president zelensky overnight said it's time to meet, it's time to talk, addressing president putin and addressing the russian people, saying it's time to limit your losses. this will take generations, he said, for russians to recover from this. what did we hear yesterday from president putin? he told a big stadium where people either gathered or were made to gather, saying "we know what to do next, we will definitely carry out our plans." we can see on the ground his plans are not finished.

we know at the minimum he wants to secure that southern belt, a land corridor between the two areas — eastern ukraine, the crimean peninsula, which are already under his control. but the negotiators are talking, they seem to be making progress, but we do know there are still some big red lines. and until progress is made on the ground, we don't know how much president putin wants — then the talk about talks willjust be talk. so many unanswered questions. and many— so many unanswered questions. and many people in kyiv, including that family— many people in kyiv, including that family witi— many people in kyiv, including that family will be spending the night in shelters _ family will be spending the night in shelters. here in lviv, there is a curfew, — shelters. here in lviv, there is a curfew, people are not allowed to go out, they— curfew, people are not allowed to go out, they will at daybreak. they will be — out, they will at daybreak. they will be able to get cups of coffee, they witi— will be able to get cups of coffee, they will be able to buy flowers at they will be able to buy flowers at the shorts, — they will be able to buy flowers at the shops, they will be able to walk their dogs — the shops, they will be able to walk their dogs. that is not always possible _ their dogs. that is not always possible in other parts of the

country. _ possible in other parts of the country, particularly in the south. the town — country, particularly in the south. the town of— country, particularly in the south. the town of zaporizhzhia has announced a 38 hour curfew after a russian _ announced a 38 hour curfew after a russian missile attack. this is the town of zaporizhzhia. it's about 130 miles just to the north—west of the besieged city of mariupol, which, of course, has been virtually flattened by russian artillery fire. in recent days and weeks, those people who have been able to flee from mariupol have been coming through here. many of them, including children, being treated at local hospitals. but the big fear here now is that this city will become the next target for the russian offensive. indeed, in recent weeks, there have been sporadic missile attacks in the area. and in the last 2a hours, seven people were reported to have been killed in attacks against a local training base and factories. and that's meant a curfew has now been declared, a 38—hour curfew, in this city declared by the army and by local authorities and that's

already led to pretty big queues at checkpoints in the city. people fleeing the city to the north to dnipro. of course, the fear is that even though many of these big old civic buildings are standing, that this city will soon resemble what has happened in mariupol. some of those there in the south will have — some of those there in the south will have moved up to the centre of the country. — will have moved up to the centre of the country, and some will have come here to _ the country, and some will have come here to lviy _ the country, and some will have come here to lviv. they will be evacuees from _ here to lviv. they will be evacuees from zaporizhzhia, mariupol and from other cities _ from zaporizhzhia, mariupol and from other cities sleeping in the houses behind _ other cities sleeping in the houses behind me. at daybreak, some of them might— behind me. at daybreak, some of them might decide that it is safer for them _ might decide that it is safer for them to— might decide that it is safer for them to leave this country altogether. they will go to the train _ altogether. they will go to the train station that is nearby, they may then — train station that is nearby, they may then go to platform five and to take the _ may then go to platform five and to take the short journey from lviv, across _ take the short journey from lviv, across the — take the short journey from lviv, across the border to poland and too much _ across the border to poland and too much greater safety. a little earlier, _ much greater safety. a little earlier, i_ much greater safety. a little earlier, i spoke to my colleague.

first of all, i want to say where we are standing right now is the railway station in western ukrainian city of lviv and this is one of numerous vacation trains which is about to depart. it leaves for poland, for the polish town of chelm, just very, very soon, in a few minutes. there is no precise schedule for such trains but it's about to depart. and believe me, almost everybody on this train doesn't believe that it might be a one—way journey for them. people really believe that they will return to their homeland as soon as possible. i know that the family of one of my friends, one of my closest friends, is about to take one of these vacation trains to the polish town of chelm within the next days. her mother and brother and grandmother. then they will go to poland, from poland to france in order to reunite with the family there.

so that's the reality for many, many ukrainians, for hundreds of thousands of refugees from this country that have to flee it and flee the war of not their making. i talked also to many other people who stay here in western ukraine and i have to remind that yesterday that the aircraft repair plant in lviv was hit by russian missiles and many people that fled the war in the other parts of the country and found the safety here in this part of ukraine, now they're worried by this situation but for many, the western edge of the country is the only safe place they can hope for. for example, many mothers whose sons serve in the army, or they are going to be conscripted or they'll just continue

their civilian work, their important civilian work in this country. they want to stay in ukraine, support their children, support their families. it doesn't mean that everyone from the areas which are heavily hit by the battles, by bombardments, wants to flee the country. and this is still the safe place for ukrainians. how do people think the war is going to end? yeah. so, first of all, the biggest hope of all people around on this train, people in lviv and other regions of ukraine is that this war can end really soon, within a few months. this is the first point. the second point is that people really listen very attentively to what president zelensky says in his televised speeches,

which already became part of everyday schedules for many people, all ukrainian people follow what the president says every morning, night, in shelters, in basements of this country. so he has said very clearly it is time to speak for ukraine and russia but the end of the war for ukraine means the withdrawal of all russian ground troops in the north and south of the country and the east of the country. and if we have time, i can give you just very good simple expectations — how people see the end of the war. when the russian ground troops entered the areas close to kyiv, the fierce fighting for their airport in the town started just in the first days of war and the russian army destroyed their big transport

aircraft that was produced in ukraine and it's called dream. now you can see posters all across ukraine saying you, russian occupiers, destroyed our dream. "but we are ready and we will build the new dream, more powerful and more beautiful. " that's the end of the war for ukrainians. safety in poland are other countries is only— safety in poland are other countries is only about 45 miles away, a very short— is only about 45 miles away, a very short train— is only about 45 miles away, a very short trainjourney, a is only about 45 miles away, a very short train journey, a two is only about 45 miles away, a very short trainjourney, a two hour drive — short trainjourney, a two hour drive. those are the people who have decided _ drive. those are the people who have decided to— drive. those are the people who have decided to leave for their own safety — decided to leave for their own safety. 0thers decided to leave for their own safety. others here in the vivre have _ safety. others here in the vivre have decided for the moment to stay. and those _ have decided for the moment to stay. and those who stay have all told me they simply want to do so, they want to be _ they simply want to do so, they want to be useful, whether it is a kitchen. _ to be useful, whether it is a

kitchen, making meals, or volunteering to sift through tonnes through— volunteering to sift through tonnes through tonnes and tonnes of aid, supplies— through tonnes and tonnes of aid, supplies which have been donated by people _ supplies which have been donated by people in— supplies which have been donated by people in europe and north america. a little _ people in europe and north america. a little earlier, i went to an aid distribution centre. in normal times, this was a furniture warehouse, but since the start of the war, this has become an aid distribution centre. it receives and then sorts through tonnes and tonnes of supplies which have been sent from across the world. let's split up, you go this way and i'll go that way, just to get a sense of the scale of what has been donated. and you're now walking through this column where people are sorting out clothes and shoes. on my side, people are sorting through tins and tins of food. there are lots of volunteers here. some of them have been older, retired people. and they've decided to sign up for six to eight hour shifts here.

they get bus rides in and they sort through everything to make sure everything is in good order. and then the business people who run the centre organise it. they'll start to repackage it and they then are in contact with places across the country, which really need food and shoes and tins of food. and one of the most important needs of all is medicine. if you just look over there, you will see the pallets that need to be sorted out. those have to be sorted out by specialists, by doctors and pharmacists, and they will then be sent out or driven out to the hospitals that need them the most. a final thought from someone i met at that— a final thought from someone i met at that centre. he was an evacuee from — at that centre. he was an evacuee from the _ at that centre. he was an evacuee from the east of ukraine, and he decided — from the east of ukraine, and he decided to— from the east of ukraine, and he decided to send his wife and his 15—year—old son across the border into potand — 15—year—old son across the border into poland. i asked him 15—year—old son across the border into poland. iasked him how 15—year—old son across the border into poland. i asked him how often they speak— into poland. i asked him how often they speak to each other, he looked at m3, _ they speak to each other, he looked at me. he _ they speak to each other, he looked at me, he said all the time. i said,

what _ at me, he said all the time. i said, what about— at me, he said all the time. i said, what about that night, just before you go— what about that night, just before you go to — what about that night, just before you go to is the? he said he could steep _ you go to is the? he said he could steep weit— you go to is the? he said he could sleep well knowing that they were safe across the border. then he paused. — safe across the border. then he paused, and i asked him how do they steep _ paused, and i asked him how do they sleep knowing that you are here in ukraine? _ sleep knowing that you are here in ukraine? and for that, sleep knowing that you are here in ukraine? and forthat, he sleep knowing that you are here in ukraine? and for that, he felt he had no _ ukraine? and for that, he felt he had no answer. and that, i think, will be _ had no answer. and that, i think, will be the — had no answer. and that, i think, will be the same for many separated famities— will be the same for many separated families in— will be the same for many separated families in this conflict. some people — families in this conflict. some people left here, some people over the border — people left here, some people over the border. it is late now, it is coming — the border. it is late now, it is coming up _ the border. it is late now, it is coming up to midnight, some people will be _ coming up to midnight, some people will be asleep. but i have a feeling, _ will be asleep. but i have a feeling, across the country, many people _ feeling, across the country, many peopte witi— feeling, across the country, many people will still be awake. that is it from _ people will still be awake. that is it from lviv, now back to lukwesa burak _ it from lviv, now back to lukwesa burak in _ it from lviv, now back to lukwesa burak in london. in the past hour, it's been reported that a total of 6,623 people were evacuated from ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on saturday. ukrainian officials say it was considerably less, compared to friday's attempts — with more than 9,000 evacuees having managed to leave the warzone.

in an online post, the deputy head of the president's office recorded 4,128 people who had left the besieged port city of mariupol. heavy bombardment from russian forces continues in kharkiv in the east of ukraine. my colleague, matthew amroliwala, has been speaking to enna sovsu. she's a ukrainian mp and deputy head of the golos political party. she started off by telling us about her family and friends who are currently in kharkiv. i was getting desperate messages from them, from the first day of war. they are all terrified. what is important to know is that kharkiv is a russian—speaking city to a very big extent, and i was getting messages in russian from many, many people who were saying one thing. we want the whole world to know that

kharkiv is a ukrainian city. we want to stay part of ukraine, so please do not surrender. that was the messages from people sitting in bunkers for days and nights without water, without electricity, but the only thing they wanted the world to know is that this is a ukrainian city and they need it to stay this way. tell me the impact it's had on you, because am i right in saying you've been separated from your son recently? my son was relocated to the western ukraine by his father. my boyfriend joined the army. my parents left western ukraine. then my dad came back tojoin the territorial defence and now he's helping evacuate people. i did come to see my son a day ago, just to double check on him and talk to him and calm him down a little bit. i will have to go back to kyiv, though, unfortunately. but staying away from your loved ones is one of the biggest challenges, of course, for everyone, for us here. i miss my son a lot. now i'm seeing him, but i'll have to leave again soon. i miss my boyfriend so badly.

i randomly get messages from him but i never know where he is, if he's safe, and that is of course extreme pressure, yeah. those are incredibly difficult conversations to have. do you think vladimir putin is serious about peace talks and do you think it's partly why president zelensky wants to meet him in person so he can actually make thatjudgment? that is something i actually talked to my boyfriend about this morning, and he's with the army and he wanted me to say this. he says please say thank you to liz truss, if you can, for saying what she said. she basically said that putin is using the negotiations as a smoke

screen in order to recruit forces and prepare for further attack. that is what it feels like on the ground from people fighting against russians here in ukraine. there is no single sign that russian forces are trying to surrender, that they are trying to stop the attacks. they are actually getting more and more violent here in ukraine. and that is why we are extremely sceptical about the possibility to make a deal with putin. we are seeing that they are lying all the time. we did see a week ago when lavrov blatantly claimed they didn't start a war in ukraine, so making deals with such people is extremely dangerous.

and that is why we are extremely concerned a final quick thought, and i'm going to put it on to our screen, something you post on social media only a few days ago and you tweeted. .. "a month ago, i had my life, i had myjob, which was frustrating sometimes but i watched movies with my son and my boyfriend. we ordered pizza. i went running. it was the day when we were having the parliamentary session and i walked around the city. i went to the supermarket. i passed by the bakery that i used to go to and the supermarket shelves were half empty. the bakery has a sign, which used to have dozens of baked goods, it had a sign that they are now only selling coffee and bread and ijust felt so acutely this change in my life that i was building for years, that is just completely gone right now and i will never be able to fully get back to how it used to be before. that is for sure. but i just want at least some sense of normality.

plenty more coming up shortly. don't go away. hello, again. it's been the warmest day of the year so far. temperatures earlier this afternoon reached 20.2 celsius in the highlands in scotland. there were a few places in portugal that got a little bit warmer than this, up to 22 degrees but otherwise this was actually one of the higher temperatures that we saw in europe, certainly beating all of these warm spots, athens todayjust nine celsius. but it could have been worse for those seeking out a bit of warmth in turkey, that hadn't gone so well today, it has been snowing in istanbul, for example. leaving europe's weather behind, and back to our weather, we're looking at dry conditions overnight tonight. the brisk winds we are seeing by day will slowly moderate somewhat and most parts will stay clear and starry.

there will be a few patches of cloud in the south—west, maybe a few mist and fog patches through the vale of york and east of scotland with a few patches of frost here and there in the countryside. a chilly start to the day on sunday and although the high pressure is still hanging on, it's not going to be as warm as it was on saturday because we've got some slightly cooler air moving its way in from europe. most areas will keep the sunshine all day. there will be a bit more cloud in western counties of northern ireland and the cloud will tend to build in east anglia, threatening a few afternoon showers. the temperature is not as high, 9—13 celsius. a few showers from east anglia running into eastern areas of england. might even have some hail in some of those. but we are going to start to warm up the weather into the new working week. on monday, high pressure still dominating, this weak area of low pressure could bring the odd shower to eastern scotland but otherwise it is staying fine, temperatures rising, looking at 13 degrees in cardiff,

15 in london, cool air with us for a time in scotland but through monday into tuesday, we will get an increasing flow of southerly winds pushing that milder air further north and boosting temperature significantly. tuesday, plenty of sunshine for most areas, there could be a few afternoon showers across central regions of the uk, but look at these temperatures, 19 celsius in london, 16 for cardiff, getting warmer for northern ireland and scotland — i4, 15 degrees here. and we keep the mild weather with lots of spring sunshine later in the week as well. that's your latest weather.

this is bbc news, welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories... fierce street fighting has been hampering efforts to reach hundreds of people still trapped beneath a bombed theatre in the ukrainian port of mariupol. civilians who have been able to escape mariupol say conditions in the city are terrible. rescuers in the port of mykolayiv are searching for survivors among the rubble of a military barracks that was hit on friday in a russian missile attack. dozens of people are thought to have died. the un human rights office says that at least 847 civilians have been killed in ukraine since the russian invasion began. most of the casualties were caused heavy artillery, missile and air strikes. two former british prime ministers

join calls for a new nuremberg—style tribunal to investigate vladimir putin for his actions in ukraine. the international criminal court is already investigating the kremlin leader for alleged war crimes in the region. two former british prime ministers — gordon brown and sirjohn major — have called for a new international tribunal to be set up, to investigate vladimir putin, for his actions in ukraine. they've signed a petition, alongside 140 academics, lawyers and politicians — campaigning for a legal system, modelled on the nuremberg trials, of nazi war ciminals, after the second world war. gordon brown spoke to

bbc radio 4 earlier. go back to 1942, when the allies got together and said that they would punish war crimes and that led to the nuremberg trials, what's unique about this is that we are seeing, as you just reported from mariupol, the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, which is against international law, the targeting of schools, hospitals and public buildings, against international law, we are seeing the breach of humanitarian ceasefires, we are seeing the breach of humanitarian corridors that are being created by the russians and of course we are seeing nuclear blackmail. all of these things are adding up to massive loss of life, of course. the petition was started by phillipe sands. he's a specialist in international law. he explained how the system could work. the idea that is beginning to slowly

come together is the creation of a tribunal established by a small number of countries drawing on the criminal law of ukraine and russia, which criminalises the crime of aggression and internationalises the process. it might be situated in the hague, it would have an international investigator, an international prosecutor, it would maybe have international judges, as well as ukrainian judges, this follows precedents that already exist in international law. and the first thing it would do is gather evidence and identify persons of interest. it is not complicated, unlike war crimes and crimes against humanity which take years to put together because you have to link the act that is a crime with the perpetrator and that is pretty tough for crimes against humanity and war crimes. the crime of aggression is pretty straightforward. the second thing that would happen is you'd create that list of persons of interest and that, ithink, would begin to galvanise people's attention. russia says it's used hypersonic missiles to destroy an underground weapons storage unit, in western ukraine. it's the first time they've admitted using these types of missiles in combat.

james bosbotinis is an independent specialist in defence and international affairs. he told us more about these types of missiles. the kinzhal is an air launched ballistic missile. it can travel at speeds up to ten times the speed of sound and has a range of about 2,000 kilometres. it's designed to provide precision strike capability against both targets on land and at sea. it entered service in late 2017 and this is its combat debut. the speed of the kinzhal puts it beyond the reach of any ukrainian air defence system. and the launch platforms, in this case, the mig31—ik, can launch from ranges beyond the reach of ukraine. the kinzhal was likely launched from southern russia. so, unfortunately for ukraine, there's no chance of defending

against these hypersonic weapons. a group of orphans evacuated from ukraine with the help of a charity set up by fans of the scottish football club hibernian have been given permission to travel to scotland. dnipro kids was set up by hibs fans in 2005 after the team played a match there. the charity has already arranged for the children to be evacuated from ukraine to poland and says it hopes they'll arrive in edinburgh on monday. the bbc�*s catriona renton reports. this was the moment these ukrainian orphans crossed the border. they had made the 700 mile journey to poland from the city of dnipro. they were joined by children from other orphanages. in total, 50 children as young as two years old and their orphanage mothers were taken to a hotel in poland by the charity set up by hibernian football club supporters.

their ultimate — destination scotland. over the last week, the children have been doing school lessons in the hotel while the charity has been waiting for news about whether they would be allowed into the uk. everybody has everything is in place and the only thing that we need is the uk government to say it is ok to bring the children over. we have accommodation organised, we have support packages organised. i've spent much of the last week trying to help the scottish charity dnipro kids, established by fans of hibernian football club... on wednesday, the snp leader asked about the children's situation. the home office said the authorities in ukraine have confirmed the children can come here. i'm just delighted. i can honestly say that... i think for most people that come into politics, you come in to try to make a difference. you have a voice to

try to assist others. all i've really done is assist the charity and i'm just... tonight i'm just so, so pleased, so pleased for all of them but most importantly so pleased for the children. the home office say they are working urgently with poland to ensure the children's swift arrival to the uk and then they can finish their long journey all the way from dnipro to edinburgh. i'm going to on to face time in poland just now and break the news to them and we will see how that goes. i'm looking forward to being able to tell them the good news. and looking forward to seeing them here in scotland? absolutely. catriona renton, bbc news. the war is creating a new fault—line between the millions of ukrainians and russians who have family in both countries. with western news sources restricted in russia, families are becoming increasingly divided over what's happening in ukraine. the bbc�*s 0livia le poy—devan reports.

here is what i hear in the heart of kyiv. the russian army bombing peaceful ukraine. that's the voice of valentyna from kyiv in ukraine. just months earlier, she had been celebrating new year's eve in the country's capital. now she is fleeing from war. valentyna never thought there would be a war, particularly because she, like many ukrainians, has family in russia. almost every family in ukraine is so interconnected. there are relatives living in russia, in kazakhstan. my family is russian speaking, because my dad comes from russia. my mum is half ukrainian, half russian. that's why it's particularly painful for us, because i am the only granddaughter, and my grandmother has never

called me since the war began. she watches tv, she watches propaganda, she totally believes that they are liberating us. with western social media and news sources restricted in russia, the information gap is pulling friends and even families apart. how does that feel, personally, when your own grandmother and friends don't believe that there is a war in ukraine? that feels terrible, because on the one hand, you are feeling pity for them, because they are victims of this regime, but on the other hand, there is no pity, because we should not suffer all this that we are suffering. i am just very much disappointed in the people with whom i've been friends for years. people i know in russia. nobody texted me, and that was also a very frustrating feeling.

it's thought that about 11 million people in russia have relatives in ukraine. my family is in russia and part of my family is in ukraine. valentina is from russia, but is living in the uk. she is in regular contact with her aunt, who lives in poltava in ukraine. so, you are russian, you've got family in russia. yeah. you've heard the news about russian soldiers being killed. yeah, yeah. but also you have family suffering in ukraine. how do you feel about that? imean, it's... it's horrible. there will be people falling into two categories. there will be very aggressively kind of motivated people who will be pushed by some ideas of war and, yeah, i don't feel sad for them, but then there will be others that have been dragged into it, and then another side is that i know, i've spokenjust now with one of my parent's friends, their son is at the age of compulsory army service,

and they are trying to run away. i do feel bad, especially there's a lot of young kids, basically, being killed. has there been any tension between your ukrainian and russian side of the family? not yet, because our family in ukraine knows the situation is very difficult in russia, as well. she knows we are not supportive of what is happening. for ukrainians and russians with families in both countries, this war is causing pain and division, and no one knows when it will end. 0livia le poidevin, bbc news. as the west continues to impose harsh economic sanctions on russia, it's looked to china — the world's second largest economy — for support. however, beijing has so far refused to condemn the russian invasion and continues to buy it's oil and gas. on friday, us president, joe biden warned his chinese counterpart, xijinping, there would be �*consequences', if beijing chose to aid moscow, more explicitly.

but will they listen? dr theresa fallon is the director of the centre for russia europe asia studies, which is a brussels based think—tank. here's her analysis. i think they're trying to sit very carefully on the fence and not look like they are too close to putin and not to upset big markets in europe and asia. but i think that this has become very problematic after the recent meeting or phone call with president biden _ we saw the meeting on monday in rome. it was a seven—hour long meeting with jake sullivan and his chinese counterpart, and that was very testy from what i've been hearing. and so the call yesterday was really to kind of show and demonstrate to the rest of the world whose side beijing is on. and so they haven't really clarified their position, clearly they are still backing russia _

so initially they would not support sanctions. that was a key indicator. also, if we go back to the february 4th agreement that was signed between president xi and president putin in beijing in the run—up to the olympics, they showed that they have a vision of the future, how they see the new world order, and they need to cooperate and coordinate. ukrainian it experts living abroad are using crowdsourcing technology to help people plot safe routes out of conflict zones in ukraine. they're connecting those civilians, with volunteer drivers, who are transporting bus loads of people to neighbouring countries. the bbc�*s marc cieslak reports. this bus is filled with ukrainian women and children fleeing the horrors of war at home, heading towards safety in another country. it's a journey that's been made possible by dozens of volunteers, thousands of miles away. yes, i am organising the evacuation of kids with cancer from ukraine to poland, and then to germany, to hospital.

a ukrainian software developer living in los angeles, arthur chaloin, one was one of the people who answered the call to help made by his country's digital minister and its government. he's used his skills gained in the tech industry to create a group called ukrainenow. it's made up of volunteers organised by via messaging apps. they immediately set about raising funds and arranging ways to help evacuate civilians from ukrainian cities under russian attack. i've been building tech start—ups for the last decade. i'm an engineer myself. i have a degree in systems of artificial intelligence. there is limited capacity, too — what's left of the un and red cross — and there is no—one else to help. it's all civilians evacuating civilians and we're crowd sourcing and providing the infrastructure to support for these operations.

i have the bus, i have a place for them to stay after they cross the border. it's an international effort. civilians in ukraine make requests for help online. these are picked up by the team in the us. they have a list of drivers and have purchased or rented buses using money they've raised. a dispatcher in the us puts the evacuating civilians in contact with those drivers, who arranges pick—up. we cannot go into too much detail about the methods used in order to protect the organisation from cyber and real—world attack. salam aldeen is an experienced aid worker. he's recently returned from evacuating people from afghanistan. he's helping on the ground. i spoke to him as he journeyed away from the city of mykolaiv with a bus full of women, children and men over 60, travelling to safety by crossing the border into moldova. it's a very riskyjourney. as you know, we are driving to the border and anything can

happen, whether it's bombings when we're in the big city. it's just insane. finding a safe route is not easy, so a number of different volunteers on the ground send information and data about safer roads to the us team. they gather all of this information together to create what they think will be the safest route possible. this information is then relayed to the drivers. they're essentially crowdsourcing safe passage out of a war zone. for now, we're definitely moving closer to the western part of ukraine, to minimise the danger, but even that is not safe. the bus that we just evacuated two days ago went through the route that was bombed just, you know, ten hours after. lots of the passengers on this bus have been sheltering in basements for days and all have left somebody behind. unfortunately, my parents. they will stay at home

and i'm travelling alone. we are frightened. we are always afraid about that it can happen and we are going to be without food, we are going to be bombed. eventually, the bus approaches the moldovan border, and safety. we are at the border. and there is three buses outside. you're at the border with — you've crossed over into moldova now? as the situation in ukraine intensifies, travelling like this will become increasingly dangerous. how long do you think that you will be able to continue making journeys like this one? i don't know, but i'm not going to stop before this war is going to stop and people can go back to their homes and be safe. until that, we need to show our solidarity and do everything we can to save people. marc cieslak, bbc news. p&0 ferries says some of its services from liverpool, have resumed after all ships

were called back to port on thursday. just hours later, the firm announced 800 staff had been sacked and would be replaced with agency workers. the scottish government says it is now reviewing all publicly funded contracts with the company. our business correspondent ramzan karmali reports. protesters let their feelings be known about the sudden dismissal of 800 p&0 staff outside the tory party conference in blackpool. the government really needs to get its act together rather than be leading the destruction of the british maritime industry. they should be doing all they can to reverse the loss of 800 jobs and the impact and devastation that will cause the communities around the coast. in dover, p&0s ferries lie idle. the dubai based owners dp world have come under intense criticism the dubai—based owners dp world have come under intense criticism

on the way they have treated their workers. if they don't have money in their pockets, then their families are going to be in need. it also means that local shopkeepers are not going to have the benefit of people spending. this is going to impact greatly on the wider community. the government is now also coming under scrutiny about the legal advice it took when told about the plans, and the scottish government told the bbc it's reviewing all publicly funded contracts with p&0. p&0 says it is now taking bookings for its crossing between liverpool and dublin. but for these ferries here in dover and in fact eight across the whole country, the transport secretary grant shapps is insisting on full safety checks. this delay will undoubtedly cost the company money, but it could also have an impact on businesses and passengers alike. one of europe's biggest transportation companies is worried about the potential long term impact. we are trying to move all our trucks and trailers with cargoes to another lines, but we understand the every, every carrier now will do the same.

so we see the lines, the queues slowly growing. absolutely disgrace what's going on. the government has asked the insolvency service to check if dp world acted appropriately. but it's clear p&0's brand has been damaged by this week's firings. ramzan karmali, bbc news, dover. china has reported its first covid deaths since january last year, as it faces its worst outbreak since the early days of the pandemic. two people have died in the province ofjeelin, in the northeast. officials said they were elderly, with underlying health conditions. china has continued with its zero covid policy, locking down entire cities and enforcing mass testing. the leaders of india and japan have called for an immediate ceasefire in ukraine, in a joint statement, following talks in delhi.

but there was no condemnation, in the statement, of russia, for its invasion of ukraine. india's prime minister, narendra modi — who wants to maintain close ties with moscow — didn't even explicitly mention the conflict in press comments, after their meeting. fire—fighting vehicles are among a convoy of specialist equipment being taken from the uk to help recovery efforts in ukraine. fire services across the country have donated a range of apparatus. simonjones reports. the biggest convoy of its kind ever organised by the fire service sets off from ashford. 18 fire engines laden with life—saving equipment to be donated to ukrainian firefighters on the front line in the war against russia. i think it's part of the fire service dna. we're here to help people and we're very passionate about it. we know what the fire service in ukraine are going through. this is the type of equipment being sent to ukraine.

there are uniforms and ppe, which has all been sorted into sizes. there are generators and also thermal—imaging cameras. this is all kit that is surplus to requirements here in the uk. a toughjob has become even tougher for the emergency services in ukraine, trying to rescue people from besieged areas, searching the rubble of destroyed buildings for survivors and, recently, fighting a fire at a nuclear power plant that was shelled. i mean, the footage i've been watching on the television has been horrific and i've seen firefighters dealing with the most terrible set of circumstances in ukraine, often with equipment that is outdated or damaged by the conflict, so the stuff we have sent across from every fire service in the uk is going to be vital. the convoy, being driven by serving and retired firefighters and charity volunteers, will take three days to reach the polish border. all those taking part say they hope the kit will help save lives in a show

of solidarity with ukraine. ballet stars from around the world are rehearsing for a gala performance in london this weekend. funds from the charity event will be donated to the disasters emergency committee — which is providing aid to people fleeing ukraine. tolu adayoye reports. uniting against war through the arts. royal ballet principal argentinian marianela nunez will be among those performing. former ballet star ukrainian ivan putrov is one of the artistic directors of the show. his mother recently arrived in the uk, having escaped the conflict. it took several attempts and a long time by road and then flying from hungary in the end, so i'm very happy that she's safe and she will be here at the performance. other members of family are still in ukraine. it's difficult. 0ne can't really quite describe...

in a way, producing this in two weeks distracted me from what is happening. the gala is at the london coliseum. 2,500 tickets were sold within 48 hours. the english national opera has waived its usual rental fees. it will also support the event musically. there will be dancers from across the world, including brazil, japan, argentina, france, the uk, as well as russia. we would like to show that russian doesn't equal aggression, russian doesn't equal what's happening now, it doesn't mean support for this war and it should not be... ..thrown away or cancelled. you know, we... i love my russian friends. romanian ballet star alina cojocaru has co—directed. she trained alongside ivan in kyiv and will be performing at the gala. i hope i'm not going to get too emotional on

saturday, but part of us... it's dancing out there on stage in hope. the message we want to send with this is that we are dancers, we are musicians, we are human beings and all we want to do is to do the little bit that we can. that i choose not to stand by thinking, "there is nothing i can do about it, it is overwhelming, i have no power," to say, "there is something i can do and i am doing it right now." let's not think we have no power. russia's space agency has denied that three of its cosmonauts were showing support for ukraine by boarding the international space station wearing yellow uniforms. the cosmonauts docked safely on friday, joining american, german and russian crewmates already on board. the men's bright clothes, reminiscent of ukraine's flag, prompted speculation they were protesting against the invasion. but a statement from roscosmos said

"sometimes yellow is just yellow". you are watching bbc news, do stay with us. hello, again. it's been the warmest day of the year so far. temperatures earlier this afternoon reached 20.2 celsius in the highlands in scotland. there were a few places in portugal that got a little bit warmer than this, up to 22 degrees but otherwise this was actually one of the higher temperatures that we saw in europe, certainly beating all of these warm spots, athens todayjust nine celsius. but it could have been worse for those seeking out a bit of warmth in turkey, that hadn't gone so well today, it has been snowing in istanbul, for example. leaving europe's weather behind, and back to our weather, we're looking at dry conditions overnight tonight. the brisk winds we are seeing by day will slowly moderate somewhat and most parts will stay clear and starry. there will be a few patches of cloud in the south—west, maybe a few mist and fog patches

through the vale of york and eastern scotland with a few patches of frost here and there in the countryside. a chilly start to the day on sunday and although the high pressure is still hanging on, it's not going to be as warm as it was on saturday because we've got some slightly cooler air moving its way in from europe. most areas will keep the sunshine all day. there will be a bit more cloud in western counties of northern ireland and the cloud will tend to build in east anglia, threatening a few afternoon showers. the temperature is not as high, 9—13 celsius. a few showers from east anglia running into eastern areas of england. might even have some soft hail in some of those. but we are going to start to warm up the weather into the new working week. on monday, high pressure still dominating, this little weak area of low pressure could bring the odd shower to eastern scotland but otherwise it is staying fine, temperatures rising, we're looking at 13 degrees in cardiff, 15 in london, cool air with us for a time in scotland but through monday into tuesday,

we will get an increasing flow of southerly winds pushing that milder air further north and boosting temperature significantly. tuesday, plenty of sunshine for most areas, there could be a few afternoon showers across central regions of the uk, but look at these temperatures, 19 celsius in london, 16 for cardiff, getting warmer for northern ireland and scotland — 14, 15 degrees here. and we keep the mild weather with lots of spring sunshine later in the week as well. that's your latest weather.

this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lukwesa burak. our top stories — the russian invasion of ukraine continues. trapped for 30 hours under rubble after shelling in the city of mykolaiv, a ukrainian soldier is pulled out alive. very tense here. it looks like somebody heard planes overhead. i heard some explosions, and the soldiers told us to leave very quickly, which is what we're doing now. 80% of buildings in the port city mariupol have been damaged by the russian assault. those who've managed to get out have been describing what they've fled. translation: there is no mariupol. we sat in a cellar for ten days and did not leave once. we neither had water or electricity.