today at six, britain's most senior military officer says ukraine is winning the war and had already guaranteed its survival. but that doesn't mean the fighting is over, we are with volunteer forces facing some of the heaviest fighting since the war began. they simply cannot let the russians through here, if they do, more ukrainian troops to the south and the donbas will be under threat. so they are hanging on for dear life here. also on tonight's programme. can the prime minister unlock northern ireland's political gridlock? he is in belfast, where a dispute over the post—brexit deal is at the heart of the impasse. a 22—year—old man has been found guilty of the murder of police community support officer

julia james in kent last year. he fought the curse of drugs and booze and now mike helps other, a glimmer of hope, but addiction related deaths keep going up. the first mail professional footballer to come out in over 30 year, what does that say about the beautiful game about the beautiful game and coming up in sportsday, later in the hour on the bbc news channel, there is still everything to play for in the final week of the premier league season. tonight arsenal will try and climb back into the top four. good evening. and welcome to the bbc�*s news at six. britain's most senior military officer admiral sir

tonied are kin says ukraine has guaranteed its is vieful as a nation. he said ukrainians are winning the war, but, as we report now, that doesn't mean the fighting is anything like over. far from now, that doesn't mean the fighting is anything like over. farfrom it. ukrainian forces are have been retaking territory in the north east of the country, in cent day, pushing the russians further from of the country, in cent day, pushing the russians furtherfrom kharkiv, their second largest city, but that may be partly because russian forces are have been focussing on the donbas region, further south. our special report tonight is from near the eastern city, known as the gateway to the donbas. our correspondent quentin somerville and camera journalist darren conway have been on patrol with volunteer fighters of the territorial defence force. fighters of the territorial defence force. war descended suddenly on ukraine. along the eastern front its men may be in bunkers, but they do not cower here. three times in the last month the russians have attacked this base, with infantry and tanks, and three times they have been repelled. another attack may be imminent.

so here, they wait. vladimir putin has turned their days into night, and taken them away from theirfamilies. but for the men of this territorial defence unit, this is now home. above their heads hangs a constant threat. the town they have dug under is all but abandoned, its people gone. orphaned pets have sought shelter here to. the men know it won't be long before the next attack. explosions. above, a russian barrage is the signal. it's time to get to work. outside these walls, everything is in the line of fire, and these men

face it daily. explosions. they need little reminder that to the north the majority of russia's forces are head quartered. and to the south, most of their ukrainian comrades. their patrols and defence along this front line keep these two mighty forces apart. loud explosions. the shells start landing closer, as the russians adjust their aim. we heading back? so you get a sense of what russia's artillery and tanks can do to ukrainian homes.

this is relentless. the reason that these men are holding on so tight here in these defensive positions is because they simply cannot let the russians through here. if they do, more ukrainian troops to the south and the donbas will be under threat. so they are hanging on for dear life here. at the front, there's no bunker, but they are armed to the teeth. yuri, this is a volunteer battalion, these men were doing ordinary jobs before the war, and they are facing against russian tanks, russian heavy artillery, indirect fire, how are they managing to hold the russians off? our men, they are going — they fight. every day by this fire, you can watch it, because we believe that all the democratic countries, all the world, will help us,

and when we will take, we give modern weapon, these brave men, they can destroy completely the russian army. as the day grows long, it is time to pick up the pace. on open ground there's no safe hiding place. pinned down, the route back is cut off by by artillery fire, so through gardens and back yards they search for an escape. a soldier calls out "leave this place as soon as possible," and it is here we find natasha, stubbornly hanging on. "do you need help leaving?" yuri asks her. translation: i don't have anyone here. - but she is defiant. this war wasn't her choice.

it's as if she refuses to acknowledge it, even as russian shells soar overhead. let us go to her house, she invites us. we can't go forward, can we? loud explosion. very close to us. very close to us, on our way. yuri tries to convince her to come with us. to stay risks death. translation: idon't- want to betray my husband, he's buried in the cemetery here. i won't leave him. we try, one last time. natasha, why don't you leave here? translation: because it's my home and i have nowhere to go. _ yuri implores her, "natasha, go to a nearby town, "they will help you there."

translation: why? i got used to it now. he says, "we can help you, are you ready to be evacuated?" translation: ifi go there, what willl do next? - off you go, guys, thank you. we have to leave, but natasha is told to pack her bags. they will come back for her when the shelling stops. despite the onslaught, the men pushed forward. loud explosions. this is what stalemate sounds like on the eastern front. and this is what it takes to keep the gateway to the donbas firmly shut. quentin somerville, bbc news, ukraine. have been focussing on the donbas region, further south. our special report tonight is from near the eastern city, known as the gateway to the donbas. our correspondent quentin somerville and camera journalist darren conway have been on patrol with volunteer fighters of the territorial defence force. and our diplomatic correspondent james landale is here with me. we have heard that britain's most senior political military officer saying ukraine is winning the war.

we have seen in that report, there is still heavy fighting. . what we have seen and we have seen the report is the fighting is very hard but it is stabilising, a few gains here, a few losses there, if you look at the map, this illustrates it, because the aim of the russians was to come in and squeeze that eastern part, the donbas, to encircle the ukrainian forces from the north, the east and the south. now, what has happened is ukrainian forces are making it very difficult forces are making it very difficult for them to do that, particularly in the north round kharkiv where they are pushing, and everything is stabilising, but that is changing the diplomatic mood music, we have the diplomatic mood music, we have the nato secretary—general saying that he thinks the ukraine can win this war, you have today britain's top military officer admiral sir tony radakin saying he thinks ukraine is winning and has guaranteed its survival as an independent state, the same time you have sweden announcing that yes, they will go ahead and try and join nato and of course mcdonalds is levering russia for good. it is fair to say that none of this was in the

game plan when vladimir putin began all this, a few months ago. james, thank you very much. talks in belfast between the prime minister and northern ireland's leading political parties have failed to break the deadlock and restore the power—sharing assembly. at the heart of the impasse is the post—brexit protocol with sinn fein and the democratic unionist party taking opposing views, chris mason has more. if you have wondered how to make a guitar is this is the place to find out. they make the instruments for ed sheeran among other, their import some of the things they need to make them from the rest of the uk, and sell plenty back to over the irish sea, as well as worldwide. the boss here says the protocol has made business harder. we had had some of our most valued partner, the guitar, the administration is too much work, we

have seen sales impacted there. we obviously, we want to make things as smoothed as possible, for our partners an we do everything we can, but it is daunting to have to fill out import documentation for something you never had to think about before. this something you never had to think about before.— something you never had to think aboutbefore. , , , , , ,, , about before. this is why businesses are havin: about before. this is why businesses are having to — about before. this is why businesses are having to adapt. _ about before. this is why businesses are having to adapt. when the - about before. this is why businesses are having to adapt. when the uk i are having to adapt. when the uk left the european union, it was agreed that goods arriving in northern ireland from england, scotland and wales, would be monitored to make sure they met eu standards. that is because northern ireland shares a land border with the republic of ireland, which is in the republic of ireland, which is in the eu, and brussels doesn't want unchecked printings ending up in what it calls its single market, but an open border on the island of ireland is seen as an essential part of the peace process. but the democratic unionist party here in northern ireland says it won't go into devolved government until it is removed. the prime minister arrived in belfast to try to start sorting it out. the

minister arrived in belfast to try to start sorting it out.— to start sorting it out. the issue they have _ to start sorting it out. the issue they have is _ to start sorting it out. the issue they have is that _ to start sorting it out. the issue they have is that they _ to start sorting it out. the issue they have is that they object - to start sorting it out. the issue they have is that they object to | to start sorting it out. the issue i they have is that they object to the operation of the protocol, we don't want to scrap it, but we think it can be fixed. and actually, five of the five parties i talked to, today, also think it needs reform. the dup went into see _ also think it needs reform. the dup went into see boris _ also think it needs reform. the dup went into see boris johnson - went into see borisjohnson demanding big change. the went into see boris johnson demanding big change. the idea that the prime minister _ demanding big change. the idea that the prime minister is _ demanding big change. the idea that the prime minister is taking - demanding big change. the idea that the prime minister is taking side - demanding big change. the idea that the prime minister is taking side is l the prime minister is taking side is for the fairies, the prime minister is here because it is hisjob to protect northern ireland, it is his job to ensure that we have the right to trade freely within our own country, that is his role as prime minister. ., , , country, that is his role as prime minister. . , , ., minister. there are plenty of businesses, _ minister. there are plenty of businesses, politicians - minister. there are plenty of businesses, politicians and l businesses, politicians and campaigners who rather an opposing the protocol are relaxed or even happy with it. sinn fein want to see northern ireland as part of the republic one day, they won more seats than any other party and say the protocol can't be spirited away, and they want to get on with

power—sharing government. me and they want to get on with power-sharing government. we have had what we — power-sharing government. we have had what we would _ power-sharing government. we have had what we would describe - power-sharing government. we have had what we would describe as - power-sharing government. we have had what we would describe as a - had what we would describe as a fairly tough meeting with the prime minister. we have put it to him very directly, that the absolute priority is about getting government working here in the north, people are facing incredible difficulties in the midst of a cost of living crisis and it is simply not acceptable, it is not good enough for anybody, the dup or the british government to hold society here to ransom. the prime minister faces society here to ransom. the prime ministerfaces pressures in all sorts of direction, firstly, trying to make trade between here and the rest of the uk easier, having signed a deal that makes it harder, secondly trying to restore devolved government, so politicians here can czech on with sorting out the nhs among other things and placating colleagues who fancy a scrap with the eu, while ensuring there isn't such a bust up with brussels, that you end up in a trade

war. backin war. back in county down, another guitar is finished, but the soundtrack and consequences of brexit can still be clearly heard. think of today as step one, tomorrow will be step two when we hear from the foreign secretary, and she sets out the government's plans for a new law to override parts of the protodoll. something people in the european union say would be a breach of international law, the government hopes that by the end of testify week, what it has done today and what it will do tomorrow may mean that the assembly here can get back going again, but it will still not involve a fully devolved executive government. getting to that point could take some time. thank you chris. a 22—year—old man has been found guilty of the murder of police community support officerjulia james in kent last year. the 53—year—old was bludgeoned to death by callum wheeler and she took her dog for a walk. he will be sentenced

at a later date. this is the moment officers detained wheeler. you are under arrest on suspicion of murder. wheeler's motives have never been clear, but in custody, he told police if he was released, he would go back to the woods to rape and kill women. julia james was a passionate and committed police community support officer. seen here on a previous occasion, she was walking her dog toby when she was attacked. in a reconstruction of herfinal moments, toby was walked by an actor. it was in the woodlands behind me where julia james' body was discovered. without cctv, it was her smart watch which provided detectives with a wealth of information. data from it showed that her heart rate suddenly increased from 97 to 145 beats per minute. the prosecution said she must have seen her attacker

and tried to escape. i've never had an investigation where a smart watch has been used in evidence. it was crucial in a sense that it helped me really understand the movementsjulia took, the route she had taken. wheeler was caught on dashcam footage of the day after the murder, near the crime scene. it might be nothing to do with it, but there is a suspicious fella... it later emerged wheeler was carrying the murder weapon, a metal rail with jack later found in his bedroom. —— a metal railway outside court, julia's family spoke after the verdict. i think he isjust a vile excuse for a human being. he needs to be held accountable for what he's done to my mum. i think what is important is that he clearly is a threat to women. the impact ofjulia's death continues to be felt deeply by her family and the kent force she served. helena wilkinson, bbc news, canterbury crown court. the time has just gone 16 minutes

past six. our top story. britten�*s most senior military officer says the ukrainians are winning the war against russia. still to come, day five of the so—called wagatha christie court case, coleen rooney talks about how she decided to catch rebekah vardy out. coming up on sportsday, a clean sweep for the london lions, we will hearfrom their star sweep for the london lions, we will hear from their star players after a stellar unbeaten season in the w bbl. drug and alcohol services are to get the biggest single investment in dicker�*s to reshape addiction treatment. the money will be used to try to reverse record number of deaths from drugs and alcohol and crime associated with it. the research by the... has been an 85%

rise from practice in england and wales. in that last year there were just over a500 deaths. when it comes to alcohol deaths, there was a 32% rise. it is across the uk. in 2020 alone, close to 9000 deaths were registered. jeremy cook has been to birkenhead to see a new approach thatis birkenhead to see a new approach that is saving and changing lives. cocaine is the devil, to be fair. this is a story of drugs and booze and addiction. the shame is when you don't admit you have a problem. it is the story of the fight to get clean, for those living on the edge. one slip would kill me because i'd feel there would be no going back. sharp scratch. drug and alcohol deaths are at an all—time high. something has to change. what i've found was a broken service. do you know, i didn't find good, i found bad.

hello. mike? yes. didn't recognise with your mask on, mate. mike is on a mission, and i've spent a year watching his struggle to move on from addiction. for me, when i used to have drink cocaine used to come hand in hand. so i would have a sip of a pint, and then i'd be wanting to, you know, get a bag. deaths associated with cocaine have increased five fold since 2010. mike's life was spiralling down. when i'd had a drink ijust turned into this person that people didn't want to be around. aggressive? yes, aggressive, nasty, narcissistic as well, i would really say. violent? violent, yes, definitely. that's a real dark moment for me, and a real moment that i don't ever want to sit in again. birkenhead, still recovering from the crippling recession of the 19805 and the drugs crisis that followed. mike found nightingales — downstairs a cafe, upstairs a rehab centre. is everyone 0k?

this is what recovery looks like. makes me feel stronger when i don't give into that temptation. mike signed up to the programme after another arrest, another night in a cell. for him, it was a light bulb moment. it gives us a choice that we can be the best possible person we want to be. it is an intense rehab programme, and today mike isjoining the ranks of graduates. thank you very much. really appreciate that. here in birkenhead they have come up with the concept of a recovery village which brings together and co—ordinates all of the many different services which aim to help people get off and stay off the drugs and booze, and it is changing lives. it's not just another person that's coming in, it's an individual, and we're there to support that person, to connect in with the community, to reconnect them. i know you're guarding me on the path i am on. i love you so much, you are sorely missed. it's late summer, and for

michael, a milestone. his mum margaret would have been 68 today, but the family lost her to cancer five years ago. mike remembers drinking on the day she died. the same day my mum passed away, that photo, i'm probably under the influence there. what was your lifestyle then? drinking and using. all the time? all the time, yeah. mike has news for his mum. spot on. he has been doing voluntary support work, helping other addicts, and it has turned into a paid position. got a job now, mum. going to be helping other people, as well as keeping myself sober and clean. she's always there, dad. mike is staying strong, but it's hard. you all right? yes, i'm 0k, mate. it's been a tough few weeks. i've had moments of depression and moments of being down, and i wanted people to realise i might be 18 months clean and sober, but again that can creep up at any time. the recovery village here is a community fighting back.

wouldn't be where i am now if i'd not had peers around me. and a time when a major government report by dame carol black has found that, across england, many services are not fit for purpose. how many people can you take at once? as many as you can fit in the door. we have told her about the recovery village and now she has come to herself how wirral ways and the other services here... be patient. ..are working together. this place has been called the beating heart of the recover community in birkenhead. dame carol has persuaded ministers it is good value to spend an unprecedented £780 million on improving recovery in england. if you get people into good treatment, and good recovery programmes, we know from research in this country murders go down, acquisitive crime goes down and less people go to prison. i've got a real passion for this, and i really want to help people. and it is not every day that a lad from birkenhead gets to share his story with the government's most

important drugs adviser. it's my two—year birthday, i'm actually two years clean and sober today. they saved my life and i'm now a recovery co—ordinator for the team. fantastic. that makes me very happy. the relief i was not the only person struggling with addiction. mike's story is one of hope, that with the right support there can be life after addiction. there is a lot of things that alcohol and drugs stripped me of, but there is a lot of things now that i am rebuilding. i accepted that i had a problem and this is my story. jeremy cooke, bbc news, birkenhead. applause if you have been affected by any of theissues if you have been affected by any of the issues in that report, details of organisations offering information and support with addiction are available. or you can call this number to hear recorded information.

the blackpool midfielder jake daniels the blackpool midfielderjake daniels has become the first male footballer to come out as gay whilst playing in the professional game. the 17—year—old made his first—team debut for blackpool fc last week. i debut for blackpool fc last week. i think it isjust the right time to think it is just the right time to do it. i'm ready to tell people about my story, i want people to know the real me. lying all the time is what i wanted to do and i've really struggled but now i feel like i am ready to be myself, be free and just be confident with it all. jake daniels there. dan roan is in salford for us. what does this say about the so—called beautiful game? these sort of things really shouldn't matter.- these sort of things really shouldn't matter. ., �* , , shouldn't matter. that's right but i think many — shouldn't matter. that's right but i think many in _ shouldn't matter. that's right but i think many in football— shouldn't matter. that's right but i think many in football tonight - shouldn't matter. that's right but i think many in football tonight are l think many in football tonight are seeing this as a trailblazing moment. jake daniels is not a household name, he is at the start of his career, with championship club blackpool having just broken into the first team but there is a real sense that in just a few words this young 17—year—old may potentially change the game forever

and make it a lot more inclusive. there will be some who are surprised that in this day and age a player revealing their sexuality is deemed headline news and yet, he is of course as you say, the first current british professional men's player to do this for more than three decades, sincejustin fashanu. there have been signs of progress since then, clubs up and down the country and grassroots are more inclusive, the women's game as well of course, players like thomas hits amagger has come out, albeit after retirement but there are also issues, homophobic chanting for example a dribble matches, so there will be huge hope tonight that in speaking out, daniels can send a message to others to perhaps follow in his footsteps and show gay men who feel excluded from the game that they can now give it a second chance. thank you very much. pupils in england, wales and northern ireland are sitting a—levels and gcses this week. the first to be examined in person in school settings since 2019. exams in scotland are already

under way. 2019. exams in scotland are already underway. during 2019. exams in scotland are already under way. during the pandemic, grades were set by teachers and schools. branwenjefferys has spent the day at a school in norfolk. on each desk, a name. being the first year group i think it is going to be a big deal. long hours in this hall lie ahead. the end of the day, it is about you, you are sitting that exam. no—one else. after two years, exams are back. feels like it has jumped on us quite quickly. they have been through lockdowns and disruption, so this year, they have been given some advance warning of topics. it helped me prioritise my revision. i've missed quite a bit of school from isolations and lockdowns, so it made everything a lot easier and it really calmed, i think, everyone down. it is like back to normality in a way, and i think it's a fair way of assessing people. your exams reflect how hard you have worked. been working towards these exams, |we have been doing exam practise, | we have been learning all this- content, and it is a way to show how much we have learned and how much we have improved. - there will be terror, triumph and tears over the next few weeks, as teenagers and their families

navigate the return of exams, but for many as well there is a sense of relief, because they get a chance to prove themselves, and to own the grades they will get in august. our year 115 really want examinations. even so, schools are dealing with more anxiety. so, they are finding ways for every pupil to sit exams. we put really special arrangements in place for those that are struggling, and some of our invigilators are going to the children's homes, some of our children are sitting their examinations outside of the exam halls. the last revision sessions ahead of gcses. for a—level students sitting their first exams at 18, it's a bigger step this year. but for everyone, just getting under way is a relief. i really liked the exam. i was nervous when i went in, but once i opened the paper and looked through the question, i thought, yes, this is what i have been revising. one down, many more ahead.

some are waiting for them at the end. branwenjeffreys, bbc news, norwich. coleen rooney has been describing how she came to suspect rebekah vardy of leaking stories about her to the sun newspaper, this is on the fifth day of a libel case. mrs vardy is suing the wife of the former england captain for libel. mrs rooney is defending the claim on the basis for social post about mrs vardy was substantially true. our correspondent reports. coleen rooney arriving with her husband wayne for a second day in the witness box. in court, coleen rooney said she didn't tell anyone, not even wayne, about a months long online investigation into who was leaking her private life to the papers. she said it was february 2019 when she first suspected rebekah vardy was behind a number of stories appearing in the sun

newspaper. one story colluding beneath made up was about the basement flooding foot of the own instagram account with access to read it was allegedly that of rebekah vardy. six days later, that story appeared in the sun newspaper prompting coleen rooney to post a famous accusation. as for the wagatha christie nickname, coleen rooney said she found it ridiculous and that far from enjoying the attention given to her news sleuthing skills, she hated every minute of the publicity. coleen rooney said the reason she didn't confront rebekah vardy before going public with her findings was that by that stage, she didn't believe a word that was coming out of her mouth. she described rebekah vardy�*s expletive ridden whatsapp messages about her is just evil. rebekah vardy�*s lawyer said his client has accepted that it was her agent, seen here on the left, who was the leak. but coleen rooney replied by saying she believes rebekah vardy knew what was going on the whole time. colin

paterson, bbc news. that brings us to the weather. drama in the skies. this picture sums it up today for that we have had sunny spells, dramatic landscapes and now it is all kicking off in northern ireland and north—west having that with thunder and lightning. a very big downpour, and lightning. a very big downpour, a lot of rain and not short space of time. i wouldn't be surprised if there was some flash flooding fault of the weather has been drifting in from the south, it is never really been called. here's the radio that shows us where it has been raining. and the lightning flashes, the lightning bolts are pretty self explanatory! let's have a look at the forecast for this evening. the thunderstorms will ramble away for a few more hours in some areas, rain in the north of scotland, not particularly thundery. by the end of the night, it will be relatively quiet, still a chance of some storms but i think many clear skies but mist and murk falling in places. not particularly cold, 7 to 12 celsius first thing on tuesday. have we