this is bbc news. the headlines... ukraine's president zelensky has warned that russia is moving its forces away from the capital and the north to prepare for new strikes on the donbas area in the east of the country. he added that this redeployment was a consequence of the ukrainian military�*s defence of kyiv and chernihiv. british and us intelligence agencies say russia's invasion of ukraine has been hampered because president putin is not being given an accurate picture of events on the ground. the white house says it's led to tensions between mr putin and his generals. there's been no response yet from the kremlin. one of the biggest stars in hollywood — bruce willis — is to retire from the acting profession. a statement from the

67—year—old's family said he had been diagnosed with a language disorder caused by brain damage. his cognitive ability is said to have been impaired. those are your headlines. now on bbc news, jennifer 0 leary travels to the polish border alongside aid workers from northern ireland and meets some of those hoping to escape the war in ukraine to the uk. retired pharmacistjacinta curran is chairperson of newry chernobyl aid. for years, the charity has provided support to countries impacted by the chernobyl nuclear disaster in ukraine.

but today there's a new cause — to help refugees of the war there. hello. thank you so much. yeah, just drop it in there. thanks a million, all the best. collecting for charity in a shopping centre — an everyday scene — onlyjacinta has herflight booked to poland to spend the donations on the ground. thank you so much. thank you very much. we take the money out and spend it out there and we get directly what they need. we need to get it into ukraine because they are desperate. they are desperate for food and medical stuff. outside the town hall in newry, locals gather to show their solidarity for the people of ukraine. it's all to do with helping ukraine to stand up against invasion and against tyranny. as yourselves, i was looking at the television reports and we were thinking,

"this is awful, what can we do?" now it's jacinta's mission to head to the polish—ukrainian border, to provide vital aid. i'm excited, i'm hoping and praying that things will work out the way that we hope that it will and we can spend the money that we've collected. you have your passport? yep. less than 72 hours later, jacinta is at dublin airport. what time is it? 25 to five, yeah? i haven't gone to bed. just booked in. we are heading now to poland and whatever happens next. so i filled cases with medical supplies cos i'm a pharmacist and we have actually got stuff at cost price. we have over £20,000 collected just from our fundraiser on saturday. a lot of effort to get here. how are you feeling?

yeah, i'm wrecked, but i'm so happy, yeah, to be going. thank you. all right, bye. aw, he gave us fast track and everything. aw, thank you. hours later, we're in a different world. poland, the front line of europe's fastest—growing refugee crisis since world war ii. of the more than 3.5 million refugees who have fled ukraine, over 2 million have crossed the polish border. it doesn't take us long to witness the crisis up close. this is przemysl train station, about eight miles from the ukrainian border. it's overwhelmed by the influx of refugees.

what's really striking is the effort the polish authorities are making to help the refugees as they get off the trains. there's food stations here. there's even toys for children. but, of course, the big question is, where are these people going to go? many have few possessions, but carry a deep trauma — like this family from kyiv. where do you plan to go to in the short term? we plan to go to germany now. do you have any family in germany? no, we don't have anyone there, we just go somewhere. you know... what did you leave home with? with my family. with my mother and grandmother. yeah. and literally what you are wearing now and your bags? yeah. so you travelled here.. yes. ..together with your two sons. yes, that's my son and a son from my friend. i and how many days did it take to get to this... it was two, two days.

two days. you must have shed many tears. yeah, i'm crying. i'm crying. yesterday und... and now, auch, too. and now, too. it's so bad. who did you leave behind in ukraine? my relatives, - my father and mother. they're unable to travel? yes. anne has arrived from kharkiv, ukraine's second biggest city, with her mother, son and their pet dog. a humanitarian corridor was their only chance to escape. do you have any idea where you might be headed to next? unfortunately i have any idea. because we were running from bombs, it was very... ..terrible.

you must have been very upset. 0ur district is destroyed. i feel destroyed. in my heart, i feel destroyed. like my country, unfortunately. loud explosion this is what the refugees have fled from. others are drawn towards the war zone. this isjens. originally from switzerland, but who lives in dublin. we met him on the flight out. so, we met you at dublin airport. tell me, why have you come to poland? in order to go to ukraine and fight with the ukrainian military. to fight for the ukrainians? yeah, exactly.

a few days ago, jens was working for a marketing company in dublin. now he'sjoining the ukrainian army. are the ukrainian army paying you? yes, they do. and what's the going rate? it's 3,000 euros a month. but i don't think money is important in this case. i would even do it for less. jens isn't totally unprepared. he says he did military service in switzerland, in a unit specialising in urban warfare. still, this assignment is a little more do—it—yourself. so, tell us about the gear that you're wearing. where did you pick that up? i bought most of the stuff i'm wearing at a military shop. where? in dublin. did you meet other people like yourself who were going in to get uniforms in some shape orform? i didn't meet them,

but the owner said many came and all went to ukraine. jens says his family is scared of what lies ahead for him, but he feels compelled to do this. why would you be willing to die for the ukrainians? because, i mean, they should be... they should be living in peace, i mean, and not under russian rule. so i would die for them because they're also part of europe, in my opinion. we have to stop russia, because if they don't stop now they will continue with other countries. you seem apprehensive, you seem a little bit nervous. yes, lam. of course. asjens prepares for war, jacinta, who was on the same flight from dublin, has hit the ground running. it's only three days since

people in newry made donations. easy to carry and easy to eat. but already, at a wholesale retailer, she's using that money to buy supplies for those who can't leave the war zone. as well as stocking up on food, clothes and medicines here, they're buying equipment for soldiers online. stuff like, you know, tourniquets, torches, real medical stuff, which is kind of heart—breaking as well. a lot of stuff for the soldiers for to keep them warm. she gulps and, like, fleeces, and hats and specific gloves for combat. ukrainian mariya krupska lives in newry. she left there last week to drive a van of supplies. she's helping to make sure the team buy as much as they can before they set off for the border crossing.

mariya, don't skimp on anything, you can take lots more. we have... we have money to pay for it. bells ring out there's the bells of a church. the situation is, at times, overwhelming. you're quite moved. yeah, the church bells started ringing. and i think it's just got to me. i haven't let it get to me since last week, i haven't even thought about... like, kept doing, doing, doing, but the church bells just started at 12 o'clock, and i don't know what happened. she sobs they're deciding what... what soldiers can carry with them. you know, weights of things, you know, how easy it is to eat something on the run or, you know, on the go, you know, as opposed to sitting down eating something, and then the church bells started. itjust set me going. the team pay for what they've purchased. so that is £634.35. that's, like... can we take more?

eh, that door. this way? yes. volunteers are the backbone of relief efforts. the medyka border, a main crossing on foot, has been transformed into a small village to try and help those who arrive dazed and exhausted. there is a stream all day of women and children as far as the eye can see. many get this far with no idea where they are going next. i didn't want to leave and it was difficult, the most difficult to leave family, to leave husband, to leave parents, to leave everything. and... is your husband fighting in the war now? he is not fighting yet, but he is ready. um... they are just waiting, if they will need some more help, he will go, yeah. he is ready for that.

do you have any idea yet where it is you might go in the coming days, in the coming weeks? i think that we all are not sure what is waiting for us. it has taken many of these people days to get to this point of safety, but, of course, this isjust the beginning of the next phase of trying to find a home. here, we meetjacquie clayton. she is from coleraine and is one of many volunteers from around the world trying to help. would you like some bread? amid all this trauma, there is also the best of humanity. you seem very buoyed up. there is an energy here, isn't there? there is an energy. there's people from all over

europe here, from america. i mean, there's lots of americans. this is like a mini village, and under different circumstances, it is almost like a fairground. but, in reality, it's not. when the war began, she and her son connor signed up with an aid agency. she cancelled her holiday in tenerife to come to poland to help. i spent the first couple of days at the krakow train station and that was an eye—opener. you know, the first thing that came in, probably as a mum — it's all mothers and children and elderly people, and when you go into krakow station, there's a whole wall, and it's just completely lined with buggies that the polish mums have donated. just hundreds of these buggies that are lying there, and as soon as they get off, they're able to pick them up and on they go. but the one thing that i will take away from here is the dignity and the grace. jacquie says most refugees want

to stay close to ukraine and go no further than countries close to it. but she has met two young women and agreed to take them into her home in edinburgh, where she now lives. i'm registered with the uk homes for ukraine scheme. we've met each other. i'm going to have problems pronouncing their names, but we'll get round that. and so my home is open to them and hopefully they'll be in edinburgh within two days, i think. back at the wholesaler, word comes through of a development. a young ukrainian mother needs refuge and medical attention for her seriously ill daughter. they are also on their way to the border and jacinta is planning to take them back home with her. that's the way things have unfolded, it's not planned, it's happening. yeah, it is a bit surreal at the minute, so when

i see the mother and child, i will know that it's definitely happening. how are you feeling? excited and nervous. i don't know what to expect, but maria has been in contact with her, but hasn't met her either and she's going to be really emotional, as am i. so... yeah, i could cry. jacinta follows maria in the white van. on the road, the closer we get to the ukraine border, the quieter the motorway becomes. so, right now, we're just waiting to get to the border area. it's very slow here, it's very fluid. obviously, there's heightened tensions because there are people who want to get into ukraine, and there are people, obviously, who are walking from the other side.

jacinta and her team have got through to transfer the supplies. maria vachnych is the ukrainian contact. she will take the aid into the war zone to help those in need. we take a car, or by railway, take these to the cities that are bombed. and how would you describe the situation on the ground with civilians? civilians are very scared. the people who come from regions that are bombed are really scared. many people, they don't have a home now. so it's hard, but we should stay, because we don't have another way. it's a slow process, the atmosphere is tense, and the strain is again telling.

i am just so emotional, coming through the border, because there were soldiers asking us if we could buy stuff for their... ..for his brother in mariupol. mariupol, he said, is a deathtrap, but they are still holding out. and he wants us to see...can we buy certain equipment for them. he's just pleading with anybody that they can plead with for his brother. then there is another arrival... stowed away are the mother and daughter waiting to get to safety, daria and vlada. vlada, daria. they have been living underground for weeks, taking shelter from the bombing. a contact of mariya's in kyiv pleaded with her to get them away from the war, and they have made it this far. this isjacinta, this is daria. daria will stay in jacinta's - home and will be close to us.

i will visit her as well. i am so emotional here, everybody, so nice - to meet you, everyone. can i give you a hug? mum daria is desperate to get her daughter vlada medical attention. the four—year—old has severe disabilities. she can't walk or talk and weeks of living in basements appear to have worsened her neurological condition. did you see that? it's just awful. i'm so glad i am here to help them. i don't know what to say. she is on the flight back, on the same flight as us, and so it's just meant to be that we are supposed to take care of her and at least she knows my face now. she's not going to just arrive without knowing where she's going to,

so thank god for that. everything is packed up to go into the war zone. daria and daughter vlada are now refugees, forced to leave their home and loved ones. others, however, are hitching lifts to get towards the war zone to fight. likejens. before he goes, he shows us what he calls his lucky irish lighter, given to him by work colleagues in dublin. how are you feeling? i am ok, good. tired. you need to get to the border now at this stage, isn't it? see you.

we follow him as he takes a taxi to the border crossing. but it comes to a stop just yards from the entrance to ukraine. so, jens, what's going on? yeah, i have to find another transportation, because the taxi driver has to go back. it's a long way. they are already basically expecting me, they already know who i was, but they cannot make it any faster for me, so they told me i have to find another transportation. and what are your expectations when you cross the border? you will be taken to a camp or do you know yet? no, i don't know. are you still in the mind that you've made the right decision? yes, lam. he finds a lift for the next leg of his trek, towards

a country he's never been to and a fight for people he has no blood links with. with that, he was gone. later that evening, he confirmed he was close to lviv. back at the medyka border crossing, the queues and crowds have markedly increased to when we first arrived a few days previously.

it's a place where the ordinary, people waiting for a bus, jars with their reason for having to do so — war. these pictures tell their own story, but to be up close and to see it first—hand is just incredibly moving. a generation born in the second world war are among the arrivals. those who cannot walk are helped along a journey with nowhere to go. in 2022, events that can change history are happening again

in front of all our eyes. it's a war with no end in sight as of now, meaning the mass exodus from ukraine is set to continue. these scenes are poignant reminders of europe's history. in only the last century, others fled from war across borders and some gave shelter, as they do now. at dublin airport, ukrainian mariya anxiously awaits the arrivals from one flight in particular. jacinta has brought home mother daria and her seriously ill daughter vlada.

jacinta is among the first to open up her home to those in need. over 6,000 others have expressed interest in the government scheme to bring ukrainian refugees to northern ireland. for daria, the relief of getting somewhere safe is palpable. daria, how are you and vlada? i'm fine. daria just says she feels fine, she says she's hoping to get... she already had a lot of help, but she will get more help to be safe. very emotional, she says. jacinta, not even a week, how are you? very emotional. to take daria and vlada home isjust incredible. tell me how that feels.

ijust never thought that i would be... l i thought i was going out| to help, but i didn't think i would take a lovely child j and a lovely mother back, so it's very emotional, yeah. and they're welcome now to your home? oh, my gosh, yes. so much, so welcome, so welcome. _ she's a lovely mother, she's so attentive to l her child and her child has. so many medical problems. you just have to help them. you must be looking forward to getting daria and vlada back to your home? yes, i mean this poor- mother has been carrying this child for... _ like, i mean, she has no buggy. we're going out to try and get a buggy for her first thing. - daria, like thousands of mothers in ukraine, carried her child across borders to safety. lives turned upside—down and dependent on the generosity of others.

we are all their neighbours now. hello there. spring is on hold as we edge towards the end of march. so, the greatest chance for ice as cross north—east scotland and parts of eastern england. you will see wintry showers streaming in from the north—east, increasingly widespread through the day, a mixture of rain, hail, sleet and snow with more shell scripting into the north—east of adobe windy with gusts around the eastern coast of 48

and 50 mph, adding to that cold feel, top temperatures within 5-10 feel, top temperatures within 5—10 celsius. through thursday into friday, further wintry showers, some persistent rain, sleet and snow into the far south—east of england, frost and ice likely with temperatures widely get into freezing or below, and then as we look further ahead into friday and the weekend, it turns a little less cold with lots of dry weather, and a few showers.

welcome to bbc news, i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories. us intelligence suggests president putin feels misled by his armed forces, resulting in tensions with top generals. ukraine's military warns russia is regrouping its forces — we've a special report from the south of the country. shells land in these fields periodically and the next village, down the road, is occupied by russian troops and civilians have been killed in these villages. one of hollywood's biggest stars, bruce willis, is retiring from acting due to a brain condition. and a distant sun — we'll tell you about the newly—discovered star that dates back almost to the dawn of time.