this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm jane hill. our top stories — ukraine's president says his country is on the verge or surviving its war with russia. is on the verge of surviving its war with russia. the ukrainians say they've carried out a series of successful counter—attacks against the russian invaders. but there's still heavy fighting on several fronts, and military experts believe russia will continue its indiscriminate attacks. the world health organisation says half a million ukrainians who've fled the country are traumatised. i'll be speaking to who's europe director live from moldova. also in the news, we meet a group of volunteers in belarus preparing to join the fight against russian forces in ukraine.

and russian opposition leader alexei navalny is found guilty of fraud in a trial his supporters say was a sham. the head of the united nations, antonio guterres, has delivered an impassioned plea for the war in ukraine to end — calling it morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensical. president zelensky says ukraine is on the brink of surviving the russian invasion, now in its fourth week. his cautious optimism comes despite a warning from the ukrainian military that russia will continue to indiscriminately shell cities and infrastructure across the country and concerns from us presidentjoe biden believes

vladimir putin's "back is against the wall, and may use chemical or biological weapons against ukraine. ukrainian forces have slowed down the enemy advance. russian forces, here indicated in red, have failed to make much headway over the past week. but residents of the ukrainian city of boryspil, about 25 miles from kyiv, have been asked to leave the area if they can as fighting against russian forces draws closer. our ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse, has this report from the capital kyiv. "everyone downstairs." not something you'd expect to hear in a hospital until 26 days ago. but this is war, and the southern city of mykolaiv, like so many others, is struggling to escape it. translation: i'm scared,

but i have nowhere to go, | no place to escape to. we have our roots here. we can't run away. russia has mykolaiv in its sights. its people are already paying for standing their ground. here, a soldier's family lay him to rest. mariupol is expected to fall in weeks if not days after weeks of being surrounded and cut off. this footage filmed from a drone showing factories being destroyed in the city. kyiv, also a city under attack, once again under a curfew. it's around here where the majority of russian forces are thought to be. but they haven't made any real gains here. and that's why they're resorting to longer—range artillery fire. military experts in the us, as you can hear, reckon most of russia's advances are continuing

to stall because of poor planning. president zelensky is hoping that will pull moscow towards the negotiating table, but the us is making much darker predictions. the kremlin�*s once again accused of trying to create a false justification to escalate things even further, by claiming ukraine is poised to use more lethal weapons without offering any evidence. his back is against the wall. and now he's talking about new false flags he's setting up, including asserting that we, america, have biological as well as chemical weapons in europe. simply not true, i guarantee you. they're also suggesting ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in ukraine. that's a clear sign he's considering using both of those. all in the hope it would ultimately lead to kyiv falling, its biggest prize. the kremlin says not enough progress has been made in talks for both leaders to meet yet.

president zelensky, however, is hoping vladimir putin's frustration will pull him in. translation: even though we hate these troops that l are killing our people, - if we want peace, we'll have to sit down and talk. the right word is negotiate, negotiate, but not - deliver ultimatums. he's saying any concessions to russia should be put to a referendum, asking his people what they'd be willing to sacrifice for the future of their country. for now, this war, and for one square in kyiv, the music goes on. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. the un secretary general, antonio guterres, addressed journalists earlier in new york on the situation in ukraine. he said ukrainians were enduring a living hell, with civilians terrorised by systematic bombardment, and 10 million people forced from their homes. this war is unwinnable. sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield

to the peace table, and that is inevitable. the only question is how many more lives must be lost? how many more bombs must fall? how many mariupols must be destroyed? how many more ukrainians and russians will be killed before everyone realises that this war has no winners, only losers? how many more people left to die in ukraine? and how many people around the world will have to face hunger for this to stop? continuing the war in ukraine is morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensical. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, is in kyiv. she gave us her reaction to ukraine's president saying the country is on the "brink of surviving".

this is probably the proud declaration of a leader who knows the world had underestimated the might of the ukrainian military, the resistance of the ukrainian people, who looked at the numbers and the firepower, i knew that the russian army put out man, i'll shoot the ukrainians. but it's nearly a month in ukraine is still standing. —— outgunned the ukrainians. the deprivation across this country, he never ceases, every day, to call out for peace talks. now he's asked both francis —— pope french is —— pope francis —— pope french is —— pope francis to mediate. he's persuading president putin to come to the table

and he's very sceptical. and there's and he's very sceptical. and there's a i% and he's very sceptical. and there's a 1% chance of ending this war, he will try to take it.— will try to take it. how substantiative - will try to take it. how substantiative are - will try to take it. how. substantiative are they? will try to take it. how- substantiative are they? what will try to take it. how substantiative are they? what sort of level are they going on? there is a lot of talking _ of level are they going on? there is a lot of talking going _ of level are they going on? there is a lot of talking going on. _ of level are they going on? there is a lot of talking going on. at - of level are they going on? there is a lot of talking going on. at first, . a lot of talking going on. at first, it was at the level of ukrainian and russian negotiators. there's been at least four rounds of talks, and some have gone on for days, many of them remotely. they talked about making progress. we hearfrom some of remotely. they talked about making progress. we hear from some of the country's mediating, including turkey and israel, and the same conclusions emerge. some of the issues which were on the agenda initially are taken off the agenda, so we hear the words that it's more realistic now. we hear, but only second—hand, third—hand, that president putin has taken the issue of overthrowing the ukrainian government, overthrowing present

zelensky, off the agenda. that's what naftali bennett said, that he has understood you cannot be removed. when you talk about the militarising the country, on the ukrainian side, present zelensky has said he understands they might not be able tojoin said he understands they might not be able to join nato because their doors are not so open after all. when it comes to the issues of territory, that is where the tough issues lie. you heard in that report from james waterhouse that president zelensky said they put issues like that to a referendum. many ukrainians have said they don't want this, which russia has recognised. russia has annexed crimea in 2014. ukraine really wanted to recognise that. what about the territory, the land of the south and east, that russia has occupied? it's very hard to see president putin pulling back

from those lands after all of the people forces he's mobilised. of course, the political cost as well. there are still a lot of red lines on both sides, a lot of tough issues. but they are talking, and thatis issues. but they are talking, and that is one light in a very, very dark day. that is one light in a very, very dark day-— that is one light in a very, very dark da . , ., , ., ., dark day. yes, and while they go on, l se, it is dark day. yes, and while they go on, lyse. it is the _ dark day. yes, and while they go on, lyse, it is the human _ dark day. yes, and while they go on, lyse, it is the human people - dark day. yes, and while they go on, lyse, it is the humal price. e - dark day. yes, and while they go on, lyse, it is the humal price. the - civilians who pay the price. the longer this drags on. this civilians who pay the price. the longer this drags on.— civilians who pay the price. the longer this drags on. this war is not 'ust longer this drags on. this war is notjustl major— longer this drags on. this war is notjustl major military - longer this drags on. this war is| notjustl major military activity. longer this drags on. this war is| n1 is ustl major military activity. longer this drags on. this war is| n1 is a stl major military activity. longer this drags on. this war is| n1 is a huge |ajor military activity. longer this drags on. this war is| n1 is a huge humanitarian |ctivity. it is a huge humanitarian catastrophe. that people catastrophe. so much so that people are �* the which has seen the worst of the horrors. that is hell on it's horrors. that is hell on earth, it's a living hell, it's about dead

horrors. that is hell on earth, it's a living hell, it's about people horrors. that is hell on earth, it's a living and it's about people horrors. that is hell on earth, it's a living and traumatised. people horrors. that is hell on earth, it's a living and traumatised. it's ple horrors. that is hell on earth, it's a living and traumatised. it's beyond shocked and traumatised. it's beyond the... this for now. for all of the sanctions and weapons which have been provided to ukraine, and we'll hear more about this week, the g7, they will talk about trying to stop the war, but none of it has stopped the war. it gets more horrific by the day. lyse doucet, still _ gets more horrific by the day. lyse doucet, still in _ gets more horrific by the day. lyse doucet, still in ukraine's capital for us. let's ta ke let's take a few minutes to reflect on the refugee situation and the impact that it is having on surrounding countries. the un says more than 3.5

million refugees have now fled the war in ukraine. around 360,000 of those have passed through neighbouring moldova, one of europe's poorest countries. hans kluge, the who's regional director for europe, has been visiting a refugee centre in the capital of chisinau as well as meeting with the country's leaders, and hejoins us now. we are we a re interested we are interested on what you have been hearing from those people who have left ukraine and got into moldova. , ., ., ., moldova. first and foremost, what i have seen is — moldova. first and foremost, what i have seen is a _ moldova. first and foremost, what i have seen is a tremendous - have seen is a tremendous hospitality of the moldovan people, who literally open their homes, their hearts to welcome the refugees from ukraine, who are very grateful. 0f from ukraine, who are very grateful. of course, starting with mental health, it's a big issue for the children, but also growing diseases.

most of the people, in fact, i really would like to go back to ukraine —— they would really like to go back to ukraine the sooner the better. �* , ., ., ~' go back to ukraine the sooner the better. �* i. ., ~ ., go back to ukraine the sooner the better. �* , ., ., ~ ., ., better. and you talk about the warm welcome and — better. and you talk about the warm welcome and the _ better. and you talk about the warm welcome and the help _ better. and you talk about the warm welcome and the help that - better. and you talk about the warm welcome and the help that has - better. and you talk about the warm welcome and the help that has been j welcome and the help that has been given, which is remarkable, from such a poor country, but that is part of the problem — the extent to which moldova can keep doing this. absolutely. wejust which moldova can keep doing this. absolutely. we just talked with the president of moldova, who reiterated the solidarity with ukraine, also pointing out that the population in this country increased by 5% in a couple of hours, and food and obviously, a huge strain on the budget. treatment for cancer, other

diseases, inflation — so reaching out to the group to support moldova, which obviously, first and foremost, has to take care of the health of their own people.— has to take care of the health of their own people. yes, and germany is one country _ their own people. yes, and germany is one country that's _ their own people. yes, and germany is one country that's offered - their own people. yes, and germany is one country that's offered to - is one country that's offered to take some of those people who ended up in moldova to at least try to ease the burden. is that something you would like to see, other countries doing? you would like to see, other countries doinu ? ~ , , ., countries doing? absolutely, and we have been asked _ countries doing? absolutely, and we have been asked to _ countries doing? absolutely, and we have been asked to co-ordinate - countries doing? absolutely, and we have been asked to co-ordinate withj have been asked to co—ordinate with the european commission to see relocation of children and people with cancer, and this is starting, but not enough yet. so, definitely, i would join the view of the president for uk, eu, us two really double their support to noble duke —— moldova. i double their support to noble duke -- moldova-— -- moldova. i take your point that ou -- moldova. i take your point that you have been _ -- moldova. i take your point that you have been meeting _ -- moldova. i take your point that you have been meeting people . -- moldova. i take your point that. you have been meeting people who want to go back home. human nature, everyone wants to be back in their

own home, but when we see some of the images coming from ukraine, we know there are towns and cities that are uninhabitable. regular biblically —— regrettably, some will not be able to go home for the long time, and i'm interested what your take is. what your appeal is, given that the duration of help that will be needed. , , that the duration of help that will be needed-— be needed. this is definitely an unprecedented _ be needed. this is definitely an unprecedented human - be needed. this is definitely anj unprecedented human tragedy. be needed. this is definitely an - unprecedented human tragedy. health needs peace and peace needs health, but the most acute issue is that any attack on health care facilities really has to stop. as of today, 64 are very tied —— verified, and we desperately need safe corridors of life—saving medical supplies, first and foremost oxygen, to the affected

areas. ., ., , ., ~ and foremost oxygen, to the affected areas. ., ., , ., areas. doctor hans kluge, thank you for our areas. doctor hans kluge, thank you foryourtime- _ areas. doctor hans kluge, thank you for your time. regional _ areas. doctor hans kluge, thank you for your time. regional director - areas. doctor hans kluge, thank you for your time. regional director for l for your time. regional directorfor europe for the world health organization. talking about some of what he has seen on his visit to moldova. the authorities in ukraine's biggest port say russian naval forces in the black sea have shelled some residential buildings on the outskirts of the city. it's the first time buildings have been hit there. a spokesman for the regional military administration said there had been no casualties. the city's mayor has visited the area. the russian navy has been blockading odessa, geez but a westwards advance towards the city by land has stalled. i'm joined now by olexiy plotnikov, a lecturer at the odesa law academy, who is now serving in the army defending his country.

thank you so much for your time, sir. you are a full—time academic, but you are now in the army? explain your situation. but you are now in the army? explain yoursituation. i but you are now in the army? explain your situation-— your situation. i used to be an academic _ your situation. i used to be an academic i — your situation. i used to be an academic. i worked _ your situation. i used to be an academic. i worked for - your situation. i used to be an academic. i worked for some l your situation. i used to be an - academic. i worked for some united nations projects, but since the 24th of february, i'm with the army. it is all part of the ukrainian army and a force that protects cities. some peoplejoin and a force that protects cities. some people join this voluntarily, and this is where we are now. find and this is where we are now. and ou 'oin and this is where we are now. and you join voluntarily? yes, - and this is where we are now. and youjoin voluntarily? yes, i- and this is where we are now. and youjoin voluntarily? yes, i signedj you 'oin voluntarily? yes, i signed a youjoin voluntarily? yes, i signed a contract on _ youjoin voluntarily? yes, i signed a contract on 16th _

youjoin voluntarily? yes, i signed a contract on 16th of _ youjoin voluntarily? yes, i signed a contract on 16th of february. - a contract on 16th of february. because?— a contract on 16th of february. because? , , , ., because? basically because of the reneral because? basically because of the general situation _ because? basically because of the general situation with _ because? basically because of the general situation with the - because? basically because of the general situation with the conflict, but something called the... which means that normally, i can be a civilian, but in times of war, i become a soldier. it's war now, so you can see me wearing uniforms. 50. you can see me wearing uniforms. so, how much military training have you had? i how much military training have you had? ., ., , ., had? i had military training when i was a student, _ had? i had military training when i was a student, which _ had? i had military training when i was a student, which is _ had? i had military training when i was a student, which is part - had? i had military training when i was a student, which is part of - had? i had military training when i j was a student, which is part of the ukrainian university course if a student selects. since the 24th of february, we were undergoing daily training on different aspects of modern warfare, taught by those people who were there. some of them were fighting for eight years already, and i think your question is about whether we will be fighting with our experience of training.

absolutely. with our experience of training. absolutely-— with our experience of training. absolutel . , ., ., ., ., absolutely. first, we have a lot of --eole absolutely. first, we have a lot of people who _ absolutely. first, we have a lot of people who know _ absolutely. first, we have a lot of people who know how _ absolutely. first, we have a lot of people who know how to - absolutely. first, we have a lot of people who know how to fight - absolutely. first, we have a lot of - people who know how to fight and who are regular officers who have military experience. they are expected to be the first, and others are learning. we are not fighting yet. are learning. we are not fighting et. ., , , , ., ., , yet. not yet, but explain for us if ou can yet. not yet, but explain for us if you can the _ yet. not yet, but explain for us if you can the situation _ yet. not yet, but explain for us if you can the situation in - yet. not yet, but explain for us if you can the situation in odesa, l yet. not yet, but explain for us if. you can the situation in odesa, how you're living, how you and your friends and family are feeling. basically, it's a primary target for putin, and it's great symbolic failure for russia. we woke up on the 24th of february because of explosions. they tried to strike the aircraft missiles, but they fail. since then, i'm here. forsome while, it seems that odesa is not a

priority because russia tried to enter kyiv. they are attacking mary a paul and kharkiv, enter kyiv. they are attacking mary a pauland kharkiv, but enter kyiv. they are attacking mary a paul and kharkiv, but later they advanced —— mary a paul. there was some heavy fighting. they managed to retain control over the city and through the russians back, so there is no direct threat of russians advancing —— mariupol. there is still the threat of the russians advancing by sea. so, we have conflicts, air threat —— air raids here, so you can see that i cannot just turn on the light. just

yesterday, more than ten russian ships approached the seashore, and they shelled the seaside and damaged some of the residential buildings. personally, there were no casualties, but material damage. my friends are volunteering, so they're all trying to do theirjob. 50. friends are volunteering, so they're all trying to do theirjob.— all trying to do their 'ob. so, lots our all trying to do their 'ob. so, lots your friends h all trying to do their 'ob. so, lots your friends are _ all trying to do theirjob. so, lots your friends are volunteering - all trying to do theirjob. so, lots your friends are volunteering and doing similar to you. we should remind viewers that you are professor of international law. are you using your academic skills and qualifications and what you're doing as well? . �* , qualifications and what you're doing as well? ., �* , ., �* qualifications and what you're doing as well? ., �*, ., �* ., as well? that's what i'm doing because it _ as well? that's what i'm doing because it all _ as well? that's what i'm doing because it all started - as well? that's what i'm doing because it all started with - as well? that's what i'm doing because it all started with us | because it all started with us staying in a bomb shelter and somebody else needing explaining

about the law because regular soldiers were either soldiers or just ordinary people, they don't understand and had basic questions. will putin be prosecuted? just trying to explain it. they asked me to record some videos, and fortunately, i gained permission. those videos are becoming pretty popular right now. they're like three minutes, but our most recent video was why you cannot tell a prisoner —— kill a prisoner. it's just three minutes and explains

basic stuff, but i was surprised that it got hundreds of thousands of views. , ., , ., ., views. even people on the other side is wash it -- — views. even people on the other side is wash it -- side, _ views. even people on the other side is wash it -- side, all— views. even people on the other side is wash it -- side, all the _ views. even people on the other side is wash it -- side, all the best - views. even people on the other side is wash it -- side, all the best to - is wash it —— side, all the best to you. olexiy plotnikov, and ordinarily press or —— ordinarily a professor of international law. now serving in the army.— a russian court has sentenced the jailed opposition leader alexei navalny to nine years in a maximum security prison for what the prosecutors call "embezzlement". mr navalny leads an anti—corruption foundation that claims president putin has illegally acquired a fortune worth billions of dollars, including a huge palace and one of the world's largest yachts. the leading kremlin critic's nine—year sentence is in extension the leading kremlin critic's nine—year sentence is in extension to the two—and—a—half year prison term he's already serving. our moscow correspondent,

caroline davies, reports. speaking in russian. this was alexei navalny�*s last moment as a free man. arrested at the airport as he arrived back in russia in 2021. with a kiss to his wife, he was taken by the russian authorities. the kremlin critic is already behind bars. wearing black prison uniform, he heard today's verdict from his jail — guilty of embezzlement and nine years in a maximum security penal colony. crowd chants. these were the anti—corruption protests mr navalny led. the man who'd been one of president putin's fiercest critics has always maintained the legal case against him was political, as have many in the west. in 2020, he was poisoned using novichok and left for treatment in germany. he chose to return to russia. now, many of his allies have left the country, afraid of what might happen if they stay.

more media sites are banned day by day here in russia. meta, the company that owns facebook and instagram, has been declared an extremist organisation and both sites have been blocked, and the introduction of a new law that means that anything deemed to be false information about the military can result injail time has led to many independent journalists leaving the country. the window that many russians have on the outside world is virtually closed. the laws in russia, they were strict and draconian before the war, and they became even worse after the war. farida rustamova is an independent russianjournalist. she was out of the country when russia launched its "special military operation" and chose never to return. she's too afraid to say where she's now based. i'm afraid of physical assault. i'm afraid of going to jailfor words. the only thing that is allowed is propaganda. i'm absolutely sure that this is just the beginning and that things are going

to get worse. chanting. daring to disagree is increasingly dangerous in russia. with each protest, the crowds shrink. with each week, there are fewer journalists to cover them and anything that contradicts the kremlin. president putin's regime knows that fear can breed silence. caroline davies, bbc news, moscow. the ukrainian president's office says there is a "high risk" we will keep you up—to—date with all developments regarding the conflict in ukraine. hello there. it's been a fine, dry, sunny day for most of us. it's been the warmest day of the year so far. besides top temperatures of 21 celsius in both wales and in england. now, the next few days, it's going to stay warm, dry and sunny, thanks to high pressure.

and there will still be that very outside chance of an isolated shower, but most places will stay dry. our weather will be influenced by high pressure sitting to the east of us. influenced by high pressure we will have lower pressure out to the west — that's why we're drying up this warm air from the south or southeast. so, any showers this evening will tend to fade away through central and northern areas. most places will be drier overnight. there will be patchy cloud and mist and fog patches developing. most places will see clear skies. it will be chilly out of town, but i think towns and cities seeing temperatures no lower than around 3—5 degrees. so, it's a fine start to wednesday morning. any early mist and fog patches should tend to melt away quite quickly, and then it's a dry, sunny afternoon for most of us. you can see a little bit of low cloud, some mist and murk hugging the coast of northern and eastern scotland, northeast england. could see the odd shower as well, northeast scotland and down into eastern england, but most places will be dry, and again, it's going

to be another warm day. mid to high teens for most, could see the low 20s in the midlands and the southeast. as we had to wednesday night, it's going to be largely dry again, widespread clear skies, could see a that more cloud pushing to the north and west of scotland, perhaps western parts of northern ireland by the end of the night. so, here, temperatures want to fall as low as they will further south because here we have clear skies. but it should be a largely frost—free start for thursday for most of us. plenty of sunshine once again, more cloud pushing to the north and west of scotland, of northern ireland by the end of the night. the low teens here, but i also reckon it's another dry, sunny warm day, top temperatures around 19, maybe 20 degrees. some subtle changes as we move through friday into the weekend. this area of high pressure begins to drift its way begins to drift its way westwards. that will allow a bit more cloud, some slightly fresher there will be increasing amounts of cloud in northern and eastern

areas into the weekend. into next week, though, it starts to turn much colder to the start of april.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm jane hill. our top stories — ukraine's president says his country is on the verge or surviving its war with russia. the ukrainians say they've carried out a series of successful counter—attacks against the russian invaders. but there's still heavy fighting on severalfronts — and military experts believe russia will continue its indiscriminate attacks. and a russian billionaire sanctioned by the uk says he no longer owns many former properties, potentially putting them beyond the reach of the law. and in other news: rescuers find burnt wreckage and personal belongings at the site of a plane crash in southern china.

the ukrainian president's office says there is a "high risk" of neighbouring belarus launching an attack on the country to help russia, its longstanding ally. but some belarusian dissidents are alreadyjoining the war to fight alongside ukrainian forces. our correspondent in poland, mark lowen, has met some of them. gunfire. a trial run for the terror they'll soon see for real. recruits from belarus, training before they go to fight with ukraine. slavic brothers uniting against a common enemy — putin's russia. pavel came back from his life in new york to battle the kremlin's forces,

who are supported by president lukashenko of belarus. without independent and free ukraine, there is no independent and free belarus. i really admire ukrainian nation. from the very beginning, we supported ukrainians in their fight for freedom, and i'd like to have my belarusian nation to be as strong and powerful as ukraine is right now. do you think lukashenko will send belarusian troops into ukraine? i hope so, because if he sends someone to ukrainian soil, we will destroy them on ukrainian territory first, and then we won't have a lot of problems with our comeback to our motherland. for these dissidents, it's in part a proxy war against a regime at home that's made belarus a launchpad for russian attacks on ukraine. 30,000 russian troops advancing from there to kyiv. they'll also take in supplies and what they hope

they won't have to use. and then a crash course in first aid by a polish veteran of afghanistan. the tourniquets and bandages of that vicious conflict now a part of life in europe. whispering: just hours before leaving, they're learning the vital lessons that could save their lives. when you look around, you can see that these arejust ordinary guys, mainly, who are suddenly preparing for what it'll be like entering a theatre of war when they cross tonight. for all theirjingoism and unity, the facade cracks as reality hits. i'm afraid, a little. i saw you speaking to your mum earlier. yeah, she's crying. but now, she'sjust...pray, maybe. she tried to tell me that this war is not my, it's not our, that it's other country, other people, but i don't agree. so, they head off to someone else's war, which has become their own.

they shout defiantly. both countries fighting the imperial oppressor. they travel from warsaw to war, hours first to the border. a final sip of safety before a crossing off limits to our camera. their sights set on victory for two nations in arms. mark lowen, bbc news, on the poland—ukraine border. the russian billionaire alisher usmanov says he no longer owns many of his uk properties that once belonged to him. that could leave them beyond the reach of government sanctions. they included a multi—million pound mansion in north london and a tudor manor house in surrey. it raises serious questions about the effectiveness of sanctions imposed since the invasion of ukraine began, as andy verity reports. he's been described as one of president putin's favourite oligarchs. alisher usmanov is said to be worth an estimated $18.4 billion and used

to own nearly a third of arsenal. three weeks ago the government announced it was freezing all his uk assets, but how effective will those sanctions really be? mr usmanov�*s $600 million yacht was reportedly seized in hamburg, but the german authorities later denied that. days later, the uk government targeted two huge properties in the south of england, beechwood house in north london, now estimated to be worth about £80 million, and also a tudor manor house in surrey once owned by the world's then richest man, paul getty. this gilded gate behind me is as close as the public can get to sutton place, one of the assets the government says alisher usmanov has bought with his billions. but he says he's given away much of his estate, and that raises serious questions as to how the government's going to enforce its sanctions. mr usmanov has now said his assets were transferred long ago

into irrevocable trusts, and from that point on he didn't own them. but an investigation by the bbc, the guardian and the organized crime and corruption reporting project has found that the trusts holding sutton place and beechwood house have been linked to mr usmanov and one of his closest business associates. campaigners say it shows how difficult it is to establish who the owners of assets actually are when they are hidden in offshore tax havens. well, the problem is that whilst the government has introduced legislation in recent days to try and go after the suspect assets of individuals, say, linked to the kremlin or corruption cases in russia, it's going to be doing this with one hand tied behind its back because of the secrecyjurisdictions in the overseas territories and the crown dependencies. the government says sanctions are having an impact, saying mr usmanov cannot access his assets, and it is now illegal for any person or company in the uk to do business with him. andy verity, bbc news.

let's get more on the situation in mariupol — two superyachts linked to russian billionaire roman abramovich have docked in turkey, beyond the reach of the uk and eu sanctions. the uk, us and eu have said they will target superyachts, and at least eight have been seized so far. more remain at large — some are on the move, others are moored in places that are safe from sanctions, including the maldives. our reality check reporterjake horton is with me in the studio. he horton is with me in the studio. joins us now. in te coach he joins us now. in terms of the coach dashed the owner, what we know about ten? ., , ., ., about ten? that chelsea fc owner, so this is my solaris _ about ten? that chelsea fc owner, so this is my solaris and _ about ten? that chelsea fc owner, so this is my solaris and eclipse, - about ten? that chelsea fc owner, so this is my solaris and eclipse, and - this is my solaris and eclipse, and these are huge vessels, both of them estimated to cross over $500 million and they have onboard cinemas, onboard jams, one of them even has its own submarine, so they are prized assets, but he is under sanctions from the eu in the uk meaning that if those yachts were

docked in european harbours, they might be vulnerable to seizure from european authorities because of the sanctions status. we teamed up with shipping experts which tracked the movements of these yachts to find out where they found and where they are going. they showed us at the start before the sanctions came into place, both of his yachts were in european territories, but they have since moved to save her harbours. in the case of the mice lrs, this began in barcelona where was undergoing repairs and has since sailed east, ducking in montenegro briefly, and is now headed towards turkey and this morning. this was also the case at the eclipse. this began in european waters and has since sailed east and ended up in turkey. and on the way, both of those yachts have stayed in international waters where they wouldn't be vulnerable to seizure from authorities from the european union or the uk where he is

under sanctions. european union or the uk where he is undersanctions. people european union or the uk where he is under sanctions. people might be asking why is turkey the chosen destination seemingly for these two yachts? one of the reasons is that turkey isn't in the european union, so it doesn't have to enforce any sanctions that are placed on him by the eu. another reason perhaps is that turkey is one of the few european countries which is still allowing direct flights from russia which could make it appealing for oligarchs because they could fly directly, jets, into russia coming to turkey, sorry, and have hazy access to their yachts off the coast. another reason we are speaking to experts and they said turkey has been friendly to these captains of yachts linked to rich russians. we spoke to one captain who said the port authorities had made it clear that they would be welcomed like any other yachts from any other country. {eek welcomed like any other yachts from any other country.— any other country. ok i'll stop so, do we know. _ any other country. ok i'll stop so, do we know, do _ any other country. ok i'll stop so, do we know, do we _ any other country. ok i'll stop so, do we know, do we know - any other country. ok i'll stop so, do we know, do we know how- any other country. ok i'll stop so, i do we know, do we know how many any other country. ok i'll stop so, - do we know, do we know how many acts have been seized so far? this is an

area we are learning more about now, what do we know? that area we are learning more about now, what do we know?— area we are learning more about now, what do we know? that has been eight achts what do we know? that has been eight yachts seized — what do we know? that has been eight yachts seized so _ what do we know? that has been eight yachts seized so far, _ what do we know? that has been eight yachts seized so far, but _ what do we know? that has been eight yachts seized so far, but there - what do we know? that has been eight yachts seized so far, but there are - yachts seized so far, but there are others that are on the move or in safe harbours elsewhere. another high—profile yachts of a sanctioned individual is the grace to which has been linked to president vladimir putin. now, this is currently in russian waters. it moved weeks ago from european waters before the invasion even began, so as long as it's in russian waters, it safe from any potential seizure. there are also several yachts that have remained in safe harbours, the maldives, the seychelles, dubai, these are all places that do not have agreements with the us or the uk or the eu which would allow authorities to seize these outs. so as long as those ships stay in the maldives and in the seychelles, then they are safe from any seizure. and it's not unusual for those ships to be an place, but experts we spoke to coming up through april and into may

it's typically the mediterranean season, it's when those gaps are typically sailing to the med and take harbour and usually welcome in ports like monaco and all these pleasant destinations across europe. so it will be interesting to track those movements going forward and see if they do make those moves and if they will be welcomed by these parts, which at this stage seems unlikely. also experts we spoke to said it's not clear how long they can stay in the maldives because these gaps are huge gas guzzling beasts that require a lot of maintenance. most of these shipping yards where they do this maintenance is in northern europe, so northern europe has the infrastructure and of his utilities that places like the maldives and the seychelles perhaps don't have. so it's interesting to track these movements and see how long they can sustain not entering european waters on their perhaps vulnerable to seizure.— european waters on their perhaps vulnerable to seizure. jake, thank ou ve vulnerable to seizure. jake, thank

you very much- — let's assess rather russian forces are making any progress, we've been talking a lot about the besieged city in the south of the country, our sincerity correspondent has been looking at the battle for southern ukraine. ~ , , ., looking at the battle for southern ukraine. ~ ,, ., , looking at the battle for southern ukraine. ~ , , ., , ., ukraine. when russia first invaded ukraine. when russia first invaded ukraine to on _ ukraine. when russia first invaded ukraine to on a _ ukraine. when russia first invaded ukraine to on a number _ ukraine. when russia first invaded ukraine to on a number of - ukraine. when russia first invaded ukraine to on a number of friends | ukraine to on a number of friends and the north here in the east end from the south. now, some of the fiercest fighting has been here on the southern front. russian forces originally caved —— came out of crimea —— crimea, a territory they seized in 2014. we have heard more in recent days about some of the defences being prepared at the port of odesa, a historic city, a strategically important city, a strategically important city, western official described today today is a prime military objective for moscow. there has been concern that perhaps russia could

launch an amphibious assault from some of the vessels it's got here in the sea, although a lot of experts to speak to would say they would also need to support that by coming in from land, which has led to some of the fighting we have seen appear in this area. if we turn now over here to mariupol, that is another source of some pretty intense fighting in recent days and weeks. if you can see the strategic importance of that territory because it would allow russia to connect up the different territory it has in crimea and in the east to create a land bridge between the two sides. we can see here on this map the way in which the russian forces in red have encircled the city and in recent days, they've started to go in and there has been heavy fighting, some estimates that damage inside the city at up to 90%. so the russian ambition overall in the south could be to try to take that whole of the south coast, which

would leave ukraine landlocked and that would impose real economic as well as military costs on the country. but that does seem ambitious because russian forces have taken heavy casualties and were met with fierce resistance. they've not always been able to keep some of the territory they have taken, and so that may be a step too far. jane. gordon, thank you very much. now, we will take a look at some strays away from ukraine in the coming minutes, right now, we will start with a look at all the latest sports news. gavin has that class. we'll start with tennis — and the news that rafa nadal faces a race against time to be fit for the french open. the spaniard will be out of action for between four and six weeks with a stress fracture of his rib. australian open champ nadal suffered the injury in weekend's indian wells semi—final against carlos alcaraz. nadal went on to lose in the final to taylor fritz, but had difficulty breathing, and complained of dizziness.the 21 time grand slam champion is set to miss next month's clay court

tournaments in monte carlo and barcelona with the french open at roland garros beginning in two months time. boris becker has been accused of "deliberately" keeping some of his biggest tennis trophies at his trial in london. the former tennis star is accused of failing to hand over assets to settle his bankrupty debts. the six—time grand slam champion, was declared bankrupt injune 2017 over a £3.5 million loan from a private bank. the 54—year—old is also accused of failing to give up his trophies, including his 1985 wimbledon title, as well as silverware from his win at the australian open in 1991 and 1996. becker says he doesn't know where the trophies are and denies all the charges. the men's fa cup semi finals take place at wembley next month but liverpool and manchester city fans have called for the game to be moved from london. there will be no direct trains from liverpool or manchester on the weekend of april 16th and 17th due to engineering works, with fan groups calling for the game to be moved to a different ground.

chelsea take on crystal place in the other semi. the uk and ireland are set to be named as joint hosts of euro 2028 with no rival bid coming forward before tomorrow's deadline. unless there is a surprise last—minute entry, uefa are expected to make a formal decision on april 7th, with a deadline to the end of the year to recieve all the necessary government guarantees. before all that, we have a world cup in football to look forward to in november. the netherlands will be there, after missing out on the tournament four years ago, but head coach louis van gaal has slammed the decision awarding this year's to qatar. the 70 year old said the decision was purely down to money. everybody knows i think this is ridiculous. if it's about european championship are world championship, i think it's ridiculous. according to people, we play in a country to develop football there and you do that by organising a tournament in the country. well, that is nonsense. but that doesn't matter, it's about money, about commercial interest, and that's what matters at them.

staying with football, the first two women's champions league quarter—finals get underway later. reigning champions barcelona are away to real madrid in the spanish capital in their opening leg. barca have won all 34 competitive games they've played this season and have already retained the spanish title. elsewhere bayern munich host paris saint germain. cyclist sonny colbrelli is "concious and ok" after needing a defribillator after collapsing at the volta a catalunya on monday. the italian, who's the european road race champion — was attended to by medics behind screens near the finish line before being taken to hospital in girona. his team — bahrain victorious — said colbrelli was in "good" health and was continuing to have tests in hospital. three—time masters champion phil mickelson is set to miss the tournament at augusta next month, for the first time in 28 years. he is taking a break from the game after his criticism of saudi arabia's regime. mickelson was involved with a saudi—backed golf series, which he hoped would reshape the pga tour, but faced a backlash for inflammatory comments he made during an interview in november which he later called reckless.

on monday, mickelson's name was removed from a list of active players competing at the tournament, which he last won in 2010. australian captain meg lanning scored a magnificent unbeaten 135, as australia beat south africa by five wickets at the women's world cup. it's six straight wins for them now. lanning's 15th one—day international century helped australia chase 272 with 28 balls to spare. elsewhere, india claimed victory against bangladesh, with a comprehensive 110—run victory to boost their chances of reaching the semi—finals. the win lifted india up to third in the table, above west indies and two points ahead of england in fifth, who still have a game in hand. a good partnership between cameron green and alex carey helped australia's men to a strong first innings total in the third and final test match against pakistan in lahore. carey and green both hit half centuries in a 135 run stand as australia were bowled out for 391. in reply pakistan closed day two on 90 for 1, imam ul haq the man out.

we'll have more for you in sportsday at half past six. gavin, thank you. as promised, we will talk about some stories away from ukraine. china's aviation authority says rescue workers still haven't found any survivors — following a plane crash in the south of the country yesterday. 132 people were on board the china easternjet, when it nosedived 30,000 feet into a mountainside. the cause of the accident remains unclear, and investigators are yet to locate the plane's black box recorders. andrew plants sent this report. rescue workers walking through the night. pieces of the wreckage spread across this remote hillside area, but there is little hope of survivors. the boeing 737—800 thought to have nosedived from 30,000 feet, killing all 132 people on board. investigations hampered

by difficult terrain. translation: the road _ to the accident site is very narrow. cars can't get through, and we have to transfer supplies, send and pick up people there. motorcycles are more convenient, but small cars would block the road. rescuers have found pieces of the aircraft spread across these hills, and personal belongings too. china said hundreds of flights have been cancelled and some planes grounded while they look into why the aircraft came down. families of the 123 passengers and nine crew on board are still waiting for news, many gathering together at the airport where the plane took off before suffering what officials have described as a loss—of—control event. flight tracker data shows the jet dropped 20,000 feet injust over two minutes. the aircraft's black box and cockpit voice recorder are yet to be recovered.

boeing, the us maker of the plane, said it is assisting in the investigation. the task now to find out what caused the plane to nosedive into the hillside here yesterday morning, china's worst air disaster in more than a decade. andrew plant, bbc news. at least four people are dead after a man stabbed a woman in a petrol station and drove off and rammed his car into a number of people, including a cyclist a stop he then left the vehicle and stabbed a man and woman outside a shopping centre. he was shot dead by a passer—by. the israeli security services have identified the man as an israeli citizen from a nearby town who had spent time in prison. in the uk,

piano fairies have given details of the support package for 100 members of staff who was sacked without notice. they say the settlement could be the largest compensation package and the british marine sector with a total value of more than £35 million. they say that employees will be given support to find anotherjob at sea or on shore. p&0 find anotherjob at sea or on shore. p&o berries also confirmed it has responded to a letter from the government about the way in which a redundancy was carried out. the body which oversees the metropolitan police in london has concluded that its approach to tackling corruption within its ranks is �*fundamentally flawed'. the findings come in a report which has been published today. our correspondent tom symonds can explain more. this is a report that follows a very long—running case, the daniel morgan murder case. now, you may remember he was murdered in the �*80s and there was a very, very poor investigation — they never proved the killers — and police corruption hampered that investigation from the start. fast—forward to this year,

and the watchdog for the police, the inspectorate constabulary, is looking at whether the met properly deals with corruption within its ranks. what it finds is that it's fundamentally flawed, it's not fit for purpose and, in the words of one senior inspector today, that it is "arrogant, lethargic and secretive." just a few areas they had concerns — firstly, vetting. they said they couldn't be sure from the records that officers working in sensitive areas like child protection and major investigations, that they had proper vetting. they had concerns that 100 staff members had committed criminal offences in the last two years, and also, that more than 2000 police warrant cards had gone missing, effectively. now, they could give you access to a police station or they could be used to pretend that you're a police officer when you've actually left the ranks. of course, that's quite sinister because the sarah everard case, wayne couzens, the man who murdered sarah everard, he was a serving officer, but he did use his warrant card to try

and prove that he was apolice officer. —— and prove that he was a police officer. he was wearing plain clothes and he went on to kill sarah everard. what response, then, from the police force to all of this? well, the met points out, as it does, that this report finds that it is pretty good at dealing with large—scale corruption cases — so the very high—profile ones — that it's improved its investigation of murders over the years. it says, "we are highly capable of tackling the most serious corruption," but it says that it has to do more to look at this perhaps lower level endemic corruption that this inquiry believes there aren't the processes to really crack down on and stop. the met says, "we are determined that this report will serve as a further opportunity for us to learn and improve," and you detect a slight weariness there

from the metropolitan police, which, in the last few months, has been really in quite a big crisis. our home affairs correspondent. just to tell you, we have been getting reports in the last few minutes of an earthquake in taiwan. some conflicting reports in terms of the magnitude of the quake, but the us survey now saying it believes or sets the magnitude as 6.9 will stop at struck off the coast of taiwan is what we are being told that this stage. very few details. still early days. but some suggestions that the earthquake was felt in taipei, so 6.9 says the us geological survey. no tsunami warning issued, it adds, in relation to that, but we will keep an eye on that of course for you. here on bbc world news, we will keep you up—to—date with all the

developments about the conflict in ukraine. thanks for being with us. hello there. it's been a fine, dry, sunny day for most of us. it's been the warmest day of the year so far. we saw top temperatures of 21 celsius in both wales and in england. now, the next few days, it's going to stay warm, dry and sunny, thanks to high pressure. and there will still be that very outside chance of an isolated shower, but most places will stay dry. our weather will be influenced by high pressure sitting to the east of us. we will have lower pressure out to the west — that's why we're drawing up this warm air from the south or southeast. so, any showers this evening will tend to fade away through central and northern areas. most places will be drier overnight. there will be patchy cloud, some mist and fog patches developing. most places will see clear skies. it will be chilly out

of town, but i think towns and cities seeing temperatures no lower than around 3—5 degrees. so, it's a fine start to wednesday morning. any early mist and fog patches should tend to melt away quite quickly, and then it's a dry, sunny afternoon for most of us. you can see a little bit of low cloud, some mist and murk hugging the coasts of northern and eastern scotland, northeast england. could see the odd shower as well, northeast scotland and down into eastern england, but most places will be dry, and again, it's going to be another warm day. mid to high teens for most, could see the low 20s in the midlands mid to high teens for most, could see the low 20s in the warmest spots in the midlands and the southeast. as we had to wednesday night, it's going to be largely dry again, widespread clear skies, could see a that more cloud pushing to the north and west of scotland, perhaps western parts of northern ireland by the end of the night. so, here, temperatures won't fall as low as they will further south because here we have clear skies. but it should be a largely frost—free start for thursday for most of us. plenty of sunshine once again, more cloud pushing to the north and west of scotland, perhaps western parts of northern ireland

by the end of the night. so, here, temperatures want to fall as low as they will further south because here we have clear skies. but it should be a largely frost free start for thursday for most of us. plenty of sunshine once again, northern think more cloud generally further north. the low teens here, but i also reckon it's another dry, sunny warm day, top temperatures around 19, maybe 20 degrees. some subtle changes as we move through friday into the weekend. this area of high pressure begins to drift its way westwards. that will allow a bit more cloud, some slightly fresher air to move across northern and eastern parts of the country, particularly as we head through sunday. but with high pressure in charge, it's going to stay largely dry with some sunny spells. there will be increasing amounts of cloud in northern and eastern areas into the weekend. into next week, though, it starts to turn much colder to the start of april.

tonight at six — the united nations appeals for an end to the war in ukraine saying people are enduring a a �*living hell'. explosion we have a special report on the battle for a key town in the south of ukraine where ukrainian troops and local people have pushed back russian forces. this community achieved something remarkable here. but we need to put it in perspective. this war is only a few weeks old and the russians will almost certainly be back with more soldiers and a lot more firepower. fleeing the beseiged city of mariupol — survivors tell of children dying there because of a lack there because of a lack of food and water.

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