president zelensky has addressed the israeli parliament, comparing russia's actions in ukraine to those of hitler in the 1940s. he said the kremlin was talking about the final solution to the ukrainian issue. the deputy commander of russia's black sea fleet has been killed in mariupol. he's the first high—ranking russian naval officer to be confirmed dead. other sources have reported the deaths of five russian generals since the invasion. now on bbc news — ukraine: reporting from the front lines. 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 relatively safe city. and after 18 days, this missile attack on ukraine's international centre for peacekeeping and security, a0 kilometres north of lviv and 20 from the polish border, well, that marked and 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 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 airstrike 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 are vulnerable to missile strikes. but kyiv is big and it is sprawling and the defenders have many advantages which they are using. problems for the russians include rivers, notjust the mighty dnipro running through kyiv, but its tributaries an 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 are tracking the two main russian thrusts, from the east and from the north—west, which they said are being attacked and have barely moved. we have heard a lot about this

long russian convoy that was to the north—west of the city — what has 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 this city? do they want to come into the city and concur it, or do they want to encircle it? translation: maybe they want to encircle the city, _ but i do not think they have enough soldiers and they understand that in kyiv, around 20,000 people have received weapons and the city is 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 underferocious

russian bombardment. but it is 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 street 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 briefly familiar — if you cannot 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 is marina ovsyannikova, a channel one editor. her sign reads, "no war, stop the war, "don't believe the propaganda, they are 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 is still struggling to persuade some people

within the system that what the kremlin is doing is right. as for marina ovsyannikova, she is reportedly being 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 opened their hearts and homes since the start of the crisis. by now, they tell us, they are pretty overwhelmed. translation: | have| 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 is neighbouring poland that feels like a first responder, very much into the eye of the storm. and on two fronts — this ever—growing influx of refugees seeking safety, and an evergrowing concern amongst poles that russia's aggression in ukraine could spread here, over the border.

translation: what vladimir putin is doing in ukraine - is part of geopolitical plan. we have to help ukrainians because they are fighting for ourfreedom too. the 20th day of a deepening conflict and here in kyiv, the mayor warns the city is facing a difficult and dangerous moment, after five people are killed in russian airstrikes 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 is 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.

"i saw from my window the building was on fire. "my friend lives on the 14th floor. "i assume she is dead because she was bedridden. "many people lived in the building," she says, "some left. "i am very sorry i did not 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 of boryspil, outside kyiv.

there is grief over the losses in battle. still, ukrainians are standing firm, united in sorrow. gunfire. north—west of kyiv, ukrainian troops fight to slow the advance of russian forces but they are making headway to the south. russia claims it is now in control of the entire region 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, almost the entire city is here. ..describing what it is like to confront russian soldiers. i was crying to them, "go home, go to your mum." 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 yuri stelmashenko, "not far away and we are getting used to it. "the russians have allowed us to keep working

"but it is not clear how long that will last." western countries apply more sanction 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've heard for years that the doors were open but we also heard that we could notjoin. it is 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, for all the talk of cautious optimism, possible compromise at the ukrainian—russian negotiation table, there is still no strong signal from moscow, from president putin that this war is going to end anytime soon.

the country has 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 1.5 day curfew to finally end. the language of diplomacy between russia and ukraine is shifting but russia has many redlines 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?

cheering and applause. slava ukraini. 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 your 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 and 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 that ukraine will never be a victory for putin.

hours later, president biden denounces president putin asa warcriminal. 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 fisher met volunteers going through a crash course in weapons handling. we have been invited to a school building in lviv to see volunteers being given a crash course in handling a gun. lesia, a grandmother, is here with her architect husband, yuri. we need to be prepared. translation: normallyl wouldn't even point a gun| at an animal, but this is now a 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. air raid siren. so you can 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 yaryna, a doctor at lviv hospital. she's out there training. herjob is to save lives, but she says she's now ready to kill. i stay here for terror and i defend under bombing, under different military troops. and i stay 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,

we're invited by yuri and lesia back to their apartment to see their new guns. this is normally for hunting. bought after russian air raids in western ukraine this weekend. translation: it's sad. it's very sad. sometimes it seems like a bad dream. it's not right. this shouldn't be happening. music plays. how many russian soldiers have been killed in what the kremlin still refuses to call a war? it's 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 sent 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 been called here the �*special military operation�*. father ivan is wondering why. he easily delivered an anti—war

sermon and he criticised the kremlin�*s offensive on the church website. he was detained and fired under a new law for discrediting the russian armed forces. translation: i believe that any bloodshed, however - you try to justify it, is a sin. blood is on the hands of the person who spilt 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 sommerville is embedded with the 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 of 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. kostyantyn, 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, gaining the field, so they're taking out their frustration with artillery. blowing up just... you can hear it. blowing up notjust these frontlines, but 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, quick, 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 other 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

to potentially 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 at the level of ukrainian defence, the question is: for how much longer? the weather was good for this

weekend, wasn't it? mother nature bring us clear blue skies, chilly at times with you in very noticeable, particularly yesterday. the high pressure which is bringing the settled weather is here to stay all week long but it is going to be called with the clearing skies this evening and overnight temperatures around freezing or below in many parts of the uk and possibly as low as minus celsius in some rural spots in the north so your earthly forecast monday morning onwards, generally sunny skies right from the word go, there will be some cloud building up through the morning into the afternoon and pleasant temperatures in the south and central parts of the uk, 15—16 c, still chilly there on the coast of aberdeenshire, around 10 celsius also. then in the next few days, warming up, i suspect we will hit at least 20 celsius and one or two areas and after that, more sunshine to come. that's it, goodbye.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories... 10 million people have now fled their homes in ukraine since the start of the war — more than a quarter of the population. among them — children who escaped from besieged mariupol but are left with life—changing injuries. all of these are victims of russian attacks. it isn'tjust the physical injuries though, many of these children have deep psychological trauma that they will perhaps never get over. in mariupol itself, the bombardment is said to be constant — many are believed to be trapped in shelters below destroyed buildings.

russia is urging the city