live from london. this is bbc news. a wave of missiles hit the ukrainian capital, kyiv — as a group of african leaders begin a peace mission. one boy tells us what he saw. translation: suddenly, - i heard the sound of a missile. i recognised the sound like when a jet is flying, and i knew i had to hide, so i went down and found the shelter. i'm yalda hakim, live from the outskirts of kyiv, where an entire community has been impacted as a result of russian missile strikes. the un calls for an investigation — after a migrant boat sank off the coast of greece — up to 600 people are still missing. in the uk, borisjohnson tells his supporters — he doesn't want them to vote against a report —

which found he lied to mps about downing street parties during the pandemic. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala, welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. we start in ukraine — lots to update you on — because the capital kyiv, has come under missile attack, at the same time as a delegation of african leaders arrived in the country, to discuss ways to end the war with russia. ukraine's foreign minister said, the message to africa was clear — russia wants more war, not peace. we'll have more on that visit, in a moment, but first let me show you some of the damage caused by that attack. ukraine's air force says it shot down a dozen rockets, including hypersonic missiles. at least two explosions were heard in the capital. live now to yalda hakim who's in a village on the outskirts of kyiv — where they're dealing

with the aftermath of those attacks. welcome to the programme. just take us for it. i think i'm right in saying a little earlier that a lot of that damage called in terms of the defences bringing down those missiles. . , a, missiles. that is right matthew. those air defence _ missiles. that is right matthew. those air defence systems - missiles. that is right matthew. those air defence systems were missiles. that is right matthew. - those air defence systems were hard at work this morning when there was at work this morning when there was a realisation that russian missile strikes were taking place. we went ashore for a while exactly what it was. there were rumours of reconnaissance drones. —— we weren't sure. but what we learnt when we came here to the outskirts of kyiv. apologies. we havejust came here to the outskirts of kyiv. apologies. we have just lost came here to the outskirts of kyiv. apologies. we havejust lost the line there to yalda hakim. but gelder has been there is that village on the outskirts for a number of hours. she was talking to a boy who was affected and lives in one of those houses that you saw

destroyed. yalda hakim talk to him and he talked us through the events of the last few hours. so, i understood that there is a missile, because i heard the sound, like you know, like when a jet is flying. like when an aircraft is flying, you can hear the specific sound, i recognise it. i understood that i needed to hide somewhere, so i went to the shelter. and after that, that was it, basically. and what were you thinking when you realised there was an attack? well, i understood that i can die. and that what we all have here will be gone, will be destroyed. that's what i understood. is this something you've been feeling for the past year? i never felt so scared as today.

i mean, it was for some time already, but today was something exceptional. honestly speaking, i didn't understood what happened. and when did you phone your mum? how did you get in touch with your mum? so, i called my mum when i went out of the bunker, because there is no connection in there. and i called my mum, but she also had no connection, so then i wrote her a message and also sent her a video. that is how she understood what happened and came here. you must have been petrified. i was extremely scared, because i was not at home with him. he was at home alone. and what is funny is that we quite often hear missiles, and drones flying above our village, and normally, because it is happening for such a long time, normally, recently,

we started going to the cellar that we use as a shelter. and we have a deep room in the house that has this two—wall rule, so we follow the two—wall rules. i am so grateful to my son, because even though he is 12 years old, he managed to make a decision. and if i had been home, we would probably have stayed in the house. ijust want i just want to show you what is going on behind me. already, van has arrived, and they are trying to just rebuild some of these houses. it gives you a sense of how close these communities are and how quickly they swing into action. bier? communities are and how quickly they swing into action.— swing into action. very quickly after the actual _ swing into action. very quickly after the actual missile - swing into action. very quicklyj after the actual missile strikes took place and the air defence system swung into action, we saw emergency workers arrived, and the police arrived. the area was cordoned off quickly. the injured were taken to hospital and we understand that at least seven

people were left injured as a result. and in the last few minutes, we are seeing these bands show up, and a lot of people within the community getting in there and trying to remove a lot of the day briand glass. a lot of these homes have a lot of glass. —— ddb and glass. i was able to go and speak to some of the local community, and they have told me that their life savings have been destroyed, because their homes have been destroyed. but as you can see, the reconstruction and clean—up is almost immediate, which is quite extraordinary and gives you a sense of how tight these communities are. the housejust behind me is where i am told an 80—year—old woman lived. she has been taken into hospital earlier. you can see plumes of smoke, and again, as you said, it is coming from... what you see there is a result of the debris following the

air defence system swinging into action. panning over to this house, this is where a 12—year—old boy, the one that we heard from was. and his mum was out. he was actually home alone, and it was the underground bunker that saved him. quite extraordinary to see that emotional exchange between mother and son, where his mother said, i am really proud of my son, because he was able to quickly go into that underground bunker, only being 12 and home by himself, but he knew exactly what to do. he said that my bunker is what saved me, had i stayed at ground level, i probably wouldn't have survived. we can see that parts of the roof had completely collapsed over him. not all of the houses have been destroyed like this one and is the one behind me. but every single home in the street has been impacted in some way. home in the street has been impacted in some way-— in some way. briefly, that is such a stron: in some way. briefly, that is such a strong description _ in some way. briefly, that is such a

strong description of _ in some way. briefly, that is such a strong description of the _ in some way. briefly, that is such a strong description of the human . strong description of the human impact it is having on those people around you. but these missile strikes have been pretty relentless over the last month. on a broader point, i suppose it underlines what ukrainians keep saying, which is that they need more munitions and more missiles to actually counter all of this that is incoming. exactly. and we spoke a little, you and i yesterday, about the defence minister's meeting in brussels, where they talked about the f—16s, the jets, and where they talked about the f—16s, thejets, and what where they talked about the f—16s, the jets, and what a where they talked about the f—16s, thejets, and what a support where they talked about the f—16s, the jets, and what a support they need. ukrainians here are frustrated, because they see that while those conversations are taking place in brussels, we are losing lives. this community says they are lucky they had seven injuries but no fatalities, but across this country, every other day, we are having about 12 people dead, three people dead, it all adds up. this is different to the counter offensive that is taking place in the east and south of the

country. where that heavy fighting is taking place. that is where they are talking about getting thejets to eventually. you and i was speaking to guests all day yesterday, where they were saying that nato officials and people who understand how these things work, that will take between 16 and 18 months. in the meantime, the ukrainians will continue to have situations like this, homes destroyed, if they're lucky. and if not, fatalities.— destroyed, if they're lucky. and if not, fatalities. yalda hakim, thank ou for not, fatalities. yalda hakim, thank you for taking _ not, fatalities. yalda hakim, thank you for taking us _ not, fatalities. yalda hakim, thank you for taking us through - not, fatalities. yalda hakim, thank you for taking us through all- not, fatalities. yalda hakim, thank you for taking us through all of- you for taking us through all of that. they're on the outskirts of kyiv. just where most of the damage that has happened as a result of today's and strikes. more from her through the course of today's programme. as i mentioned earlier, an african peace delegation is in ukraine — which includes leaders from senegal, zambia, and egypt, and is being led by the south african president, cyril ramapjosa. there's a lot of stake for african countries, which are are under pressure from soaring food prices —

directly impacted by the war in ukraine. live now to washington. i'm speaking to the senior director of the african centre at the atlantic council think tank. thank you so much for being on the programme. i was reading a piece you wrote a little earlier. it was headlined, give africa's peace delegation a chance. why did you frame your thoughts in that way, first of all?— first of all? thank you for having me. first of all? thank you for having me- because — first of all? thank you for having me. because africa _ first of all? thank you for having me. because africa deserves - first of all? thank you for having | me. because africa deserves the chance to play a role on the global stage. to leave the classic position of a victim of everything, including this war. with food insecurity, as you just said. two play a more strategic role as a player in this new geopolitical order. they represent almost 30% of the united nations votes. and ukraine felt it

when last february, earlier this year, 22 african countries decided to abstain when they were asked whether they should condemn the russian invasion. so, it matters when you represent almost 30% of the boats in this new geopolitical order. 1 boats in this new geopolitical order. ., , ., ., ., boats in this new geopolitical order. ., ., ., ., order. i was going to ask you about the make-up _ order. i was going to ask you about the make-up of — order. i was going to ask you about the make-up of the _ order. i was going to ask you about the make-up of the delegation, - the make—up of the delegation, because as you say, some of those countries abstained and some voted against russia. but crucially, south africa only in recent days has been accused of allowing a russian cargo ship to stock up on ammunition and arms in december of last year. there are some really uncomfortable tensions within that group as well. you are right. the positions are very variant on the continent, including neutrality. so on one hand, you have only two countries that abstained, to that supported

russia. but also, 30 african countries have voted to condemn russia. in south africa, it claims to be neutral. at the same time, this decision to travel to give and moscow comes a few days after the us ambassador to south africa alleged that a russian cargo ship stocked up on ammunition and arms at the port of cape town in september of 2022. so why this president is seeking to stop a war, why they can stop their wars. orseeking stop a war, why they can stop their wars. or seeking to distract people from troubles at home. the reuters auen had from troubles at home. the reuters agency had been — from troubles at home. the reuters agency had been publishing - from troubles at home. the reuters agency had been publishing some i from troubles at home. the reutersj agency had been publishing some of the details that they talk of draft proposals for russian troops to be pulled back. this proposal does the icc arrest warrant on putin is dropped. those are both pretty unlikely things, are they not? irate

unlikely things, are they not? we don't unlikely things, are they not? - don't know so much about the plan. the african peace plan. wejust don't know so much about the plan. the african peace plan. we just know that they would like to leveraged their various positions, including neutrality to be helpful. it also, use their experience and conflict resolutions. africa posed a lot of hotspots. and even if african efforts have not always been successful when finding peace at home, countless conflict resolution to demobilisation programmes, peace building mechanisms, strategic framework such as the peace and security council of the african union, all of this exists, and maybe all of that expense can be useful when applied to russia's war in ukraine. irate when applied to russia's war in ukraine. ~ ., ., ., ukraine. we have to leave it there. but thank ukraine. we have to leave it there. itut thank you _ ukraine. we have to leave it there. but thank you for _ ukraine. we have to leave it there. but thank you for taking _ ukraine. we have to leave it there. but thank you for taking time - ukraine. we have to leave it there. but thank you for taking time to . but thank you for taking time to speak on the programme.

all that comes — as new evidence has shed light on the true scale of casualties suffered by russia in the war. a bbc investigation suggests at least 25 thousand russian soldiers have been killed in ukraine, four times higher than the figure acknowledged by moscow. the research also suggests, many of the casualties are now older fighters, with little or no training — significant numbers have been recruited from prisons. our correspondent olga ivshina has this special report. these are the war graves russia doesn't want to talk about. since december, the bbc has located seven new cemeteries dotted across russia and occupied ukraine. they're filled with the graves of poorly trained fighters. many were prisoners recruited by the notorious wagner mercenary group. and the cemeteries are growing rapidly. this one is about 20 times bigger than it was six months ago. since the start of the war, we have been verifying photos

of graves and social media posts with the independent russian website mediazona and volunteers inside the country. so far we have identified 25,000 names. this is four times more than russia has acknowledged. it's illegal to report anything but the official death toll inside russia. so we have come to kyrgyzstan to speak to the families of fighters who have died. hundreds of people from countries like this that were once part of the soviet union have signed up tojoin putin's forces. filming tiktoks on the way to war, this 21—year—old paratrooper is typical of those who died at the start of the conflict — a young, highly—trained professional soldier in the russian army. translation: he always wanted to be the first. i i think that's why he decided tojoin the military, and there he was also given the choice, apparently. he chose to be there. go to war, you mean? yes, yes. as a professional soldier,

he was buried with full military honours after he was killed in action in may 2022. but six months later, in a nearby village, there was no military funeral for another fighter, even though he also died on the front line. that's because he wasn't a professional soldier, but a prisoner serving a seven—year sentence for assault. he had signed up to fight for the mercenary group wagner, hoping to win his freedom in return for a six—month contract. translation: a man called| and told me that my son died fighting in ukraine. i was shocked. i asked, "how come my son is even at the war?" did my son die for nothing? am i going to cry until the end of my life? the deaths of these men show how russia's war has changed. in the first three months of the conflict, it lost large numbers of professional soldiers. but in the past three months, it's non—professional fighters who have recentlyjoined

the russian forces that are dying in greater numbers. the shift in demographics in russian losses reflects not only the fact that the russians lost a large number of their professional troops early in the war, but also the fact that they've shifted their tactics. they now see their professional soldiers as a resource that is to be held in reserve and only used when the conditions are right. now they are letting the brunt of that reconnaissance offensive activity be led by mobilised troops that they treat in quite a disposable way. only publicly reported deaths are captured by our count. estimates from britain's ministry of defence suggest the true figure is likely to be at least twice as high. the bbc contacted the russian government for comment, but it has not responded. and every day, the messages and photos of graves keep coming. with more on this we can join olga in the newsroom.

fascinating to hear of those details. tell us more about how you actually did this.— actually did this. many countries have a history — actually did this. many countries have a history of _ actually did this. many countries have a history of obscuring - actually did this. many countries have a history of obscuring its i have a history of obscuring its wartime deaths, but since the soviet union, russia has a long—standing tradition of doing so. so, since day one, together with my colleagues from the websites mediazona and a very brave group of volunteers putting together all the statistics collected by the russian side, so only using war graves, media statements, official reports and statements, official reports and statements posted by close relatives within russia. in statements posted by close relatives within russia-— within russia. in terms of the official figures, _ within russia. in terms of the official figures, do _ within russia. in terms of the official figures, do they - within russia. in terms of the official figures, do they give l within russia. in terms of the i official figures, do they give any sense of the change of types of soldiers being used, as you've identified there in your report? yes. the analysis of our data suggest russia has lost a lot of elite fighters at the very beginning of the invasion, and it has its effects up to now. russia also lost

quite a lot ofjunior officers, who usually combat the units on the front line, and we see that now. that some units are performing in chaos. we have also found out that russia has leased at least 160 fighter pilots. —— has lost. that is a huge number, and it is impossible to find such substitution for specialists quickly. it has direct influence on how russian forces are performing on the battlefield. briefly, for all of those relatives you have spoken to, to the people you have spoken to, to the people you have spoken to, to the people you have spoken to, do they get any answers from the authorities when they themselves put questions to them? ., , ., , them? people are very cautious in russia at the _ them? people are very cautious in russia at the moment, _ them? people are very cautious in russia at the moment, because i them? people are very cautious in i russia at the moment, because since the start of the invasion, a lot of laws have been introduced, and if you ask too many questions, you can be accused of discrediting russia's armed forces and find yourself in prison. armed forces and find yourself in

rison. ., , . armed forces and find yourself in rison. . , . ., prison. thanks very much for the latest there. _ prison. thanks very much for the latest there. i _ prison. thanks very much for the latest there. i would _ prison. thanks very much for the latest there. i would like - prison. thanks very much for the latest there. i would like to - prison. thanks very much for the latest there. i would like to just l latest there. i would like to just show you pictures from st petersburg stop president putin has been talking over the last three hours. the camera is pined away from him but he has been talking at the economic from there for the last two three hours. going through absolutely everything from the economy to the war on the ground in ukraine. —— at the camera hasjust panned away from them. there he is. he has been talking at length as he quite often does. we will keep an eye on that and bring you more as it comes into us. straight to breaking news here in the uk, because from the uk authorities police have charged a man with three counts of murder following the attacks in nottingham on tuesday. that news just coming into us from nottingham. the 31—year—old man of no fixed

address is also charged with three counts of attempted murder. he will appear at nottingham magistrates�* court on saturday. that news just coming in a 31—year—old man hasjust been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. we will obviously bring you more on that in the next little while. around the world and across the uk, you are watching bbc news. let�*s take a look at some other stories making news in the uk. the former head of the uk�*s police watchdog has been charged with rape and other sexual offences against a girl under the age of 16. michael lockwood is the former director general of the independent office for police conduct. he stepped down from the role in december after it emerged he was the subject of a police probe. rhun ap iorwerth has been confirmed as plaid cymru�*s new leader. he was the only candididate.

plaid has been looking for a new leader since adam price stood down in may following reports of a toxic culture in the party. a hosepipe and sprinkler ban is being imposed in kent and sussex from the 26th ofjune. south east water says it has no choice after demand for water had reached record levels. anyone caught flouting the ban will face a £1,000 fine. in recent days, residents in areas including lewes and ashford have been left without water, and several schools were also forced to shut. you�*re live with bbc news. the united nations has called for urgent action to prevent more migrants drowning at sea. it comes after an overloaded boat sank off the coast of greece on wednesday. 78 people are known to have died, but hundreds more are missing. at a news briefing in geneva, jeremy laurence, who is a spokesman for the un high commissioner for human rights, said the tragedy showed the importance of stopping the illegal trafficking of migrants. well, the greek authorities

are under mounting pressure to explain how the migrant boat sank off the southern coast on wednesday. officials have denied a series of reports that suggest it capsized because a rope was attached by coastguards. the coastguard said initially it had kept a "discreet distance". but a government spokesman now says a rope was used when the coastguard approached the fishing boat. our correspondent sofia bettiza reports from kalamata in southern greece. two brothers reunited. mohammed found his 18—year—old brother fadi from syria at the port of kalamata. he is one of 104 people who have been rescued from one of greece�*s worst ever migrant shipwrecks. translation: he is 18 years old. lived in libya for almost two years. they set off from libya and were trying to reach italy. it is still unclear how many people were on board.

we understand that they travelled under very difficult conditions for many days, in conditions of overcrowding. there were many on the boat, some 750 — most of them men, but we heard there were also some women and children. 79 people have died after the boat capsized, but there are fears the number could be much higher. could this tragedy have been avoided? the greek coastguard says the migrants did not want their help — a claim that�*s been challenged. so we�*ve been trying to piece together what exactly happened. at around 8am on tuesday, the greek authorities are first informed about the fishing vessel. the coastguard has first contact at 11am and claims it does not request assistance. a little later, an emergency helpline for migrants in trouble at sea receives multiple distress calls. the migrant boat has no publicly

available tracking data, but bbc verify has used a ship—monitoring website to follow the movements of boats in the area that offered assistance. at 3pm, greece sends a nearby commercial vessel, lucky sailor, to the migrant boat, supplying it with food and water. tuesday evening, a coastguard vessel sails near the fishing boat and, from a distance, apparently concludes that there was no problem with its navigation. but less than four hours later, the migrant boat overturns and sinks. the way the greek authorities have been handling this is being criticised by many people here. last night there were protests in the cities of athens and thessaloniki. critics say the coastguard should have tried a rescue if the boat was unsafe, whether or not passengers requested it. nine people were arrested.

they face charges of people trafficking. on monday, they will be questioned by the prosecutor leading the investigation into what happened. but for now, there are still many unanswered questions about how this tragedy unfolded. the details are clearly still emerging on that story. more on that and the rest of our headline stories here in a moment. hello. there are some changes afoot as we head towards the weekend. and the first signs of those changes have been showing themselves across the western side of the country. that was the isles of scilly earlier on today with quite a lot of cloud overhead. you can see that cloud approaching from the west on our earlier satellite image. there is an area of low pressure spinning just out here in the atlantic, and as that low edges closer, we will increasingly see areas

of cloud and some showers and thunderstorms through this afternoon across the western side of the uk, particularly across northern ireland. but pollen levels are remaining high or very high for the majority, particularly where we have dry conditions, and strong sunshine lifting temperatures once again to 27 or 28 celsius. now, as we head through this evening and tonight, we will continue to see more in the way of cloud and some showery rain grazing into western parts of the uk. that rain perhaps making a little more progress eastwards. further east, some clear skies, one or two mist patches, and it could again be a relatively chilly night across parts of north—east england and eastern scotland. that�*s where we�*ll see some of the best of the sunshine during saturday morning. further south and west, we see more in the way of cloud, we see some showers, possibly the odd thunderstorms her and there. temperatures as we go through saturday — well, still up to around 25 or 26 celsius in the sunniest spots, but a little bit cooler than it has been out towards the west, maybe 20 celsius, for

example, in belfast. during saturday evening, still some of these showers, the odd thunderstorm across western parts. it stays mainly dry further east, but with a lot of low cloud close to north sea coasts. and then into sunday, we see this weather system running its way up from the south, and this could bring more in the way of showers and thunderstorms through the day on sunday, particularly, i think, across england and wales. where these showers and storms do crop up, they could give enough rain for some localised flooding. some frequent lighting, some gusty winds. northern ireland, south—west scotland seeing some of those as well. but there will always be places that fall through the gaps and stay pretty much dry. however, through sunday night, i think those showers and storms will become more widespread as they drift northwards across many parts of the uk. into the start of next week, still unsettled with some showers around at times. may turn drier in the south later in the week, and temperatures still above the average for the time of year.

this is bbc news, the headlines... a wave of missiles hit the ukrainian capital, kyiv — as a group of african leaders begin a peace mission calling for dialogue to end the war. after at least 78 people die on a migrant boat off the coast of greece, officials deny reports a rope attached by coastguards caused it to capsize.