it is 8:00, good to see you this morning. we are waking up under curfew in the ukrainian capital of kyiv following a new warning about russia's possible intentions with chemical weapons. what will president putin do next? we ask the former head of the british army. stay tuned for that. plus after peter sacked hundreds of staff, we asked if they should reverse the decision.

we will get a general response from the general secretary of the tcu. and just later, i'll be speaking to the former foreign secretary jack strong. it is tuesday, the 22nd of march. russian troops turn on peaceful protesters in the occupied city. living in the shadows. a new report from kharkiv, a city under attack. >> how long you have been living here? >> three weeks. >> how do you feel about it? >> we hear something blow up, we're down here, what was that, oh, shooting. >> good morning, from odesa in south ukraine. a city which has seen its first shelling thanks to russian naval war ships as president biden

warns russia against the use of chemical weapons. >> he's already used chemical weapons in the past and we should be careful about what is about to come. >> a russian court has found a jailed kremlin critic alexey navalny guilty of large scale fraud. the ferry company p & o, telling the government exactly why they sacked 800 staff and ask the government minister what they're doing about it. >> not enough time to step up. >> no sign of survivors. we are live with rescue teams in southern china, after a plane with 132 people on board crashed into mountains. >> i'm in the mountains in southern china, rescue workers

pick their way through the devastation at a crash site. >> a dog attack incident, being attacked by a dog. a royal visit tribute, and a message to ukraine struggling for survival during his trip abroad. >> today, we are thinking about ukraine and stand in solidarity. >> ahead on the program, i will be joined by a london restauranteur who is taking his pizza oven abroad to help feed refugee children. three years ago, i started digging a tunnel to go to my workshop and house and a bunker in the backyard and this is where we're at. >> tunnel vision. i'll be speak together inventor. with two years digging a tunnel under his guarden from his house to his shed.

the big question, why? we'll tell you. good morning all. ukraine's capital is waking up under curfew. the breaking news this morning, from the ministry of defense. the russian forces around the country are largely stalled. intelligence suggesting that despite heavy fighting, ukrainian forces continue to stave off those russian attacks to capture mariupol. these are the latest developments. a curfew remains in place in kyiv until 7:00 a.m. local time tomorrow. president biden warns that president putin could be considering using chemical weapons. the troops around the country, most forces largely stalled. and dozens of ukrainian orphans and their caretakers are going to the u.k. on monday, they're

still stuck in poland because of missing documentation. >> russian troops have reportedly used stun grenades and firing of shots to disperse protesters in the freedom square of the city, running, what appears to be stun grenades landing around them. and bangs could be heard and according to one person, at least one person was injured. >> the video has been posted on the page, that shows chechen fighters taking part in russia's offensive against the besieged city of mariupol. sky news cannot independently verify the date, location or condition under which they were

shot, chechnya fought unsuccessfully for its independence from russia, its leader appointed by moscow. >> new satellite images released by the prime space technology company maxar shows the scale of damage that russia has inflicted on ukrainian cities. plumes of smoke can be seen in kherniv and kyiv yesterday. damage also visible in mariupol. president biden has again warned moscow is considering using chemical weapons in its war against ukraine. >> his back is against the wall and now he's talking about new false flags he's setting up, including the citizens asserting that we, in america, have biological as well as chemical weapons in europe. simply not true. he has already used chemical weapons in the past. and we should be careful about what's about to come.

>>. >> i spoke to the former head of the british army and asked him where he stood on the debate of a lot of russia's actions amounting to genocide. >> what accounts to war crime, becoming genocide, genocide is the systemic elimination of a people, and i think mariupol looks to me increasingly like srebenica in 1995. with evidence against the generals in the hague and very well indicted for war crimes, and given evidence of bosnia and serbia in their genocide trial as well. so we are getting quite close to the accumulation of war crimes, adding up to a deliberate policy of trying to remove and eradicate a people. this is an appalling prospect. but i think it's right that we are starting to look at that, and still i think using that

language. >> i have breaking news, and breaking in the last hour in fact, a russian court has found that the jailed kremlin critic alexey navalny was guilty of large scale fraud. these are pictures from inside the court, and a russian prosecutors now want to move navalny to a maximum security penal colony for 13 years. navalny has already serving a two and a half year sentence in a prison camp east of moscow, for parole violations, related to charges he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions. ukraine says it will not surrender its cities. and has accused russia of striking residential areas in the first attack on odesa. we spoke to sky news nick martin in the strategic black sea port city, tell us exactly what happened there in odesa, striking in residential area, striking from the russian navy it appears. >> reporter: yes, there's been a

buildup of russian navy on the black sea just up the coast of owe odesa for a few weeks now and sometimes they're closer and visible and other times they retreat beyond the horizon and you can't see them and they definitely made their presence known yesterday and the ukrainian military confirmed that shells fired from the black sea made contact to the grounds just south of here, an apartment complex. we think about six shells in all came down, causing quite a bit of damage to a building, but thank tally -- thankfully we understand no one was killed in that attack. it is a sign of the ever-presence of the russian military and the navy off the coast of odesa which is a key port and kind of been bracing itself for the last fortnight for something to happen. we were there yesterday. we were speaking to some neighbors and they said they heard a bang and then these shells dropped. and when they hit the ground and shrapnel flies everywhere. they have very dangerous if you're in the vicinity. and we spoke to a military

spokesman yesterday who believed that this was a sort of test fire on behalf of the russian navy, and for two reasons, one to unsettle the population but also to test the ground to air missile defenses which we know are around odesa, quite well defended. so odesa has been bracing itself, but yesterday could haven't v-been somewhat of a warning sign, that more is still more to come. >> nick, many thanks indeed. the government has asked for a response to concerns about why it sacked 800 employees with a zoom call. and a short while ago asked the small business minister paul scully why he didn't act to stop the sacking. and he told me he knew nothing about it. >> the secretary of state was informed the night before the company was going to be announcing the policy the following day. not announced in the debate we

heard yesterday that there was going to be security guards or anything like that. and the p & o group are in a not good financial state over the last couple of years and we expected to be going along the same way as was announced previously rather than the situation that we've seen. the absolutely egregious situation that we've seen. nevertheless, we have said to p & o, to get around the table and reverse the decision and speak to the union and speak to the workers. >> we're joined in the studio by the secretary, good to see you. and the explanation, such as was given by paul scully, it wasn't his department that was contacted directly, but the line appears to be, they did know about it some 12 hours beforehand but given that p & o has done this before, he expected it to go in the same manner. what's your response to that? >> i'm deeply unimpressed by the

response yesterday and the interview this morning. and the first instance, i get told about businesses, where redundancies are there, and need to make changes and having been told this straight-away, the next morning, and it doesn't feel right to me. and the first thing you ask, are you in contact with the union, with the work force. and there is not enough about helping those workers find jobs and the priority is, there but this is unacceptable in this country, we will not have a race to the bottom, and we were promised by brexit that wouldn't be the case, and frankly, we got to reinstate those workers and engage with them properly because i fear they have priced this in as a cost of doing business and we can't simply allow that to happen. >> are we somewhat in a holding pattern at least until it is established whether or not the legislation, the domestic legislation actually applies to

them. we've seen this happen to a company in scotland before. and it was all perfectly legal. because these ships were not flagged in the united kingdom and sailing outside of u.k. territory. >> i believe they have broken the law. and the maritime jurisdiction, it's not a domicile business, where they were domicile, in terms of registration, it was mainland situation. i would just say as well, it was an excuse in the government yesterday, you remember when we tried to spring from the law on fire and rehire, the central argument from the government, i know this is not rehire by the way, but the point still stands, is the point from the government was, we have legislation that is not required, there are already protections in place, and there are workers that are not protected and it needs further strengthening of the law. i think we see that from the government. they can acknowledge they were wrong. and they can say because this is a mire time situation, it's different. we have seen far too much of this fire and rehire in the economy. and it has no place. the workers, the work force

doing business, the greatest asset. and i want to see that from the government to be acknowledged. >> what should those 800 members of, former members of p & o ferry staff, what should they be doing at the moment? the suggestion is if they want to get the redunn dacy payment out, if they want to get the redundancy payment out, plenty of companies, due get your payout until you sign the nondisclosure agreement. >> the whole approach from the tactics around the nondisclosure agreements to the hiring of people to forcibly remove staff members from the space is a disgrace. first of all, they will do everything they can to highlight the position, and joining the parliament in the public gallery yesterday, what a fantastic thing to say that we acknowledge you're the victims and whatever is required, we will correct. that and i don't want to hear about a task force. >> you don't have any expectation, on an opposition,

that the government is going to fall in behind? >> we often get, we vote for our particular motion, they will say we will promise to take this, and looking at the crime bill last time i was on your show, a good example, i don't accept this in the commons but they will say we will essentially do that in the house of lords or promise to legislate. we have not heard from the government to say they will prevent this from happening in the future let alone correct this injustice. >> let's talk about what may be coming down the pipeline, and in an ideal world what would you want to hear, apart from doing the job. >> it is fortunate to have an opportunity to directly address this enormous cost of living crisis and pressure that is on families. the two things i would want at a minimum would be first of all, the chance to not make the situation worse, and don't do that with employers and employees, there is no other g-7

country raising taxes on working people given the conditions we're under. and the other thing you have to take action, real action on the energy bill. so the thing he announced before, the buy now pay later, that was never pretty impressive but when you think about the idea it was based on energy bills falling, we favor that windfall tax, use the revenue that is coming in and existing taxation receipts and take some real action. and take the pressure off energy bills. age change some of the levees. so you've changed that as well. and huge change in the bill in terms of the generosity and eligibility. and the result of that will be 200 pounds, and then 600 pounds for a third of the households that are more severely hit by this. this is the kind of real action that he's trying to see and he is trying to play down the statement rather than saying i'm the chancellor and these are unpriss dented -- unprecedented

pressures. >> what about a small nuclear reactor, and we have the detail, we have a handful in this country just across the channel, and the french have 50, and will the labor support a return to nuclear? >> yes, we would. we want to see more nuclear in the system. we extended the light bulb. and more so in government. at the end of the time, there was a need in the system to replace outgoing plants, it hasn't happened for 12 years. you can't build them too quickly, to be honest. there is exciting new technology, smaller modular reactors, that will take some time to come online but nuclear has to be part of the system. but let's reverse the ban onion shore wind in this country. we lost the the capacity, and that is the entire, the entirety of the gas imports from russia. and cut the green card. i was the minister at the time. >> you're not saying that as

another point? -- >> i think there has to be a huge focus on energy efficiency. the housing stock is far less efficient compared to the rest of the continent. and we believe you could cut entire gas imports to u.k. by 15%, by focusing on that. so it's not small business. this is really significant stuff. the record on this is absolutely appalling. let's see some action. >> good to have you in the studio. thanks for joining us. you can join me for a quick look at the papers starting with "the times" it focuses on mariupol, saying that vladimir putin is threatening civilians to try and break their spirit. "the telegraph" has a picture of what is believed to be president putin's half a billion super yacht and could be seized by authorities as part of sanctions against russia. and "the guardian" says there are billions of dollars of assets around the world with russians with alleged ties to

mr. putin. and here is "the mail" it reports the man on trial for the mp has allegedly staked out other mps and cabinet ministers as possible targets. we have tamara here again. lots of stuff in terms of the statement. what in terms of p & o, the accusation that he is making is pretty much the same as the staff are making, and where is the government in all of it? >> absolutely. and labor says that they want the law to be tightened up on the fire and rehire, and people to do their job, the government is not going down that area, but he was suggesting that they might find another way to do it to take up the labor situation directly. the government has looked at p & o, and breaking the existing procedure in the way that they announced it to the government, not giving enough notice, not liaisoning with trade unions, but the question that is being

asked over the weekend what is stopping them from doing this again and what is stop them from doing this to another company. and it's appalling and efwreejs -- egregious and terrible and what exactly can they do because the company is building freeports in the u.k. and it doesn't seem they are the target of any government action so far. they will keep pushing on this. we will hear from the chief executive who has been given a deadline of 5:00 p.m. today to answer the questions and what it means to the company. >> tamara, thank you very much indeed. stay right where you are. coming up, a little bit later in the program, less than 12 hours to explain why p & o fired 800 staff without notice. we will be speaking more about that coming up. more about that coming up i will be speaking to a ukrainian member of parliament, who remains in ukraine.

and a new peace band challenge for ukraine, featuring footballers and musicians alike. i will be speaking to the organizer. no survivors have been found after a boeing 737 crashed carrying 132 people according to chinese state media. chinese china's aviation authority said it was traveling from the city to guangzhou, and went down in the mountains. emergency services at the crash site have now found some debris in a heavily forested area but there is still no sign of any survivors. >> this is a small village, quite away from the nearest city, and this is the center, makeshift center, for the search and rescue operation. we're seeing people streaming in and out towards the crash site.

so we arrived here learning there are no survivors of the plane crash and changed the nature of the operation and we will be going to the mountain and picking through any debris in the impact to try to put together what happened to this flight. it is a mystery at the moment. this plane was cruising around yesterday in nice weather condition, nothing to worry about and suddenly plummeted from the sky, and they dived into the ground. that should not happen to a modern airplane. the investigation will be looking at that. and there will be focus on the manufacturer of the plane, boeing, especially given the history of the two 787 max crashes. this was a different sort of claim, but nonetheless, china, one of the three flag ship

carriers, boeing will cooperate with the chinese civil administration investigation. there are still relatives gathering in the airport, guangzhou where the flight took off from and seeking answers but there is very one grim answer, and the fact that there are no survivors on the plane crash. 132 on board. crashed into the mountain. >> truly horrific. some of these papers are reporting that this image of a plane, this is the plane in question in southern china. for our part, we cannot verify it. a plane almost vertical in descent. some other news now. a 17-month-old girl has been killed after being attacked in her home, the family's new dog that they had only owned for a week. it happened in the blackbrook

area yesterday afternoon. the girl died in the hospital as a result of her injuries. the dog has been destroyed. two people have died after an attack at a secondary school in sweden. an 18-year-old student was arrested on suspicion of murder. it's not yet clear what happened. but police have confirmed there were no reports of gunfire. a new study has found the number of prescriptions written for anti-anxiety medication has risen sharply. women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with anxiety. a man has been charged with the murder of 19-year-old, a 22-year-old has been charged with assaulting an emergency worker.

she was found dead in the early hours of saturday morning. a pro-kremlin tabloid has removed a post on their web site saying 14,000 russian troops have been killed, and 16,000 wounded, in the war in ukraine. and the publication now claims that its site was hacked. the inaccurate information was deleted they say there. and the information they claim was fake. russia's last casualty report three weeks ago said that nearly 500 soldiers have died. and now, we have social media footage of anti-war protesters, blockading a yacht belonging to the sanctioned oligarch roman abramovich from leaving its dock. they boarded a small dingy to try to prevent the yacht from departing the resort. they have not sanctioned russia for invading ukraine.

and the royal, prince william has expressed his solidarity with the people in ukraine, and speaking at a military base in belize in the air bean. this report from the foreign correspondent does contain flash photography. >> the last royal to come to the ruins here was the queen in her platinum jubilee year, her grandson and grand daughter-in-law were once delivering her warm wishes. >> long live the queen. >> william used the moment to recall his grandmother's words of praise for belize in 1994 to then condemn the horrors taking place in ukraine. >> she said, i'm proud to associate myself with your determination, for social justice and personal freedom to flourish under the rule of law. it is always dangerous, however, to be complacent and to assume that democratic values will look

after themselves. vigilance in protecting them is needed. sadly, elsewhere in the world, that vigilance is being tested today in ukraine. belize has joined many others in condemning the invasion. and standing up for the principles of international law, peace, and security. today, we think of those struggling in ukraine. and we stand in solidarity. >> it was a reminder these tours aren't all about sightseeing. with the mayan ruins here, the couple standing on the sky palace, still the largest man made structure in belize, with their picture, until they were joined by some of us. these pictures are priceless for people in belize, a tour brings immense global attention, and a

stage the world cup knows, they can all personally use to deliver the messages that matter so much to them. >> sky news, in belize. bosses at p & o ferries have until this afternoon to tell the government why they sacked 800 members of staff. without notice. or without cause. the general secretary of has more than a couple of views on which p & o staff have been treated. frances, good to see you. let's starts with that. do you think the actions of p & o ferries are illegal? >> we do. and we also think it is one of the most shameful incidents in british industrial relations. 800 low skilled workers, marched off the ferries, with no notice, from consultation with their union and sacked by a company that has streeted them like

this. we need the government to ask some hard questions here, who knew what when from the prime minister down but critically we need action, we want those 800 workers reinstated to their jobs and given the dignity of livelihoods that they deserve. >> if however, the reactions of p & o ferries are, as you see, were, as you say, illegal, doesn't that mean that there are avenues which can be pursued, with the small business minister on the program this morning, saying they needed to do their due diligence and they need to speak to p & o ferries but if they hadn't acted prorlg there, acted properly there would be fines. >> and i'm very disappointed with the emergency legislation, because the truth is finding out what happened after the event means nothing unless those workers get their jobs back.

the government has plenty to poll, and p & o has been handed freeports worth millions of pounds in britain. and it sits on the group, the powerful group that awards licenses, tax allowances, tax handouts, and this government could suspend their licenses, and tell them unless they reinstate those workers, then they are not wok in britain. and it's plenty that the government could and should be doing now, to make sure those workers get their jobs back. >> frances, is there also the possibility perhaps of industrial action? you excuse me, i'm not as clued up with p & o ferries as you are, and does that represent the talented work force or other unionized who might be supported? >> there is huge solidarity from the trade union movement on this. and we have been looking at our options, because this has to be

a turning point. we've seen through the pandemic so many workers were regarded as heroes, and since the pandemic, we've seen the rise of fire and rehire, where workers are sacked and re-employed on worst terms and conditions, and we've got zero hours, and many workers on zero hours contracts on this country, both through self employment, umbrella company, agency, behaving badly. we need the employment bill, the prime minister promised that britain would be the best place in the world to work. try telling that to p & o workers. we need an employment bill that strengthens workers' rights but also respects union rights. this was a company that did not consult with the unions as they are required to do by law. the government has got to come down on them like a ton of bricks and make it clear that no employer can get away with treating workers in this way. >> we should hear more from the

government after that deadline passes later today. but just to pick up on one thing you just said, when you say that they are looking at this option, is it possible that we could see some action take place, that others will come out in solidarity with their colleagues? >> as you know, we have some of the most draconian anti-trade union laws in this country and of course that's one of the reasons why bad employers like p & o think they can get away with it. in that we are banned from taking solidarity action. but i know, i was monitoring through the streets of london yesterday, with p & o workers, the huge public support for them for this struggle. and the government has got to act. it can solve this now by taking firm action against p & o. and let's just remember that p & o is ultimately owned by a royal dictator in dubai, whose company

dp world has made nearly 3 billion pounds worth of profit. they can afford to pay the union rates of the job and they should. >> frances, great to have you on the program this morning. thanks. >> thank you. well, let's bring you to the latest pictures from this area, you can see at the bottom of the screen, this is where a toddler has been mauled to death by a dog that we are told her family had owned for just one week. that animal has now been destroyed. tests have being carried out to establish if it was an illegal breed. that's an illegal breed under the dangerous dogs act of 1991. and police clearly continuing their investigation, after being called to a home at around 10 to 4:00 yesterday. combines 5 key nutrients

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welcome back, life in ukraine is getting harder. in kharkiv families are living in underground railroad carriages to avoid russian shelling. around 25 miles from the border with russia. our correspondent john sparks has this report which does contain images of injured people. >> reporter: the streets of kharkiv been abandoned by the majority of those who live here. half a million have fled the city. their prized possessions in a bag. and their cars discarded at the station.

those who remain hide in the shadows in the dark, or the deep underground. more than a dozen metro stations have been turned into shelters. these battered looking train carriages redeployed as home. >> how long have you been living here? >> three weeks. >> how do you feel about it? >> when we hear something blow up, we're around here, down here, what was that, oh, shooting. >> the experience is a trial. for a new mother natalia. she gave birth to her son two days after the invasion began. the hospital then sent her here . . they now live in the final car on platform 2. with a cot and clothes provided

by volunteers. natalia says life will never be the same again. >> residents who remain will try to endure, but some are no longer able. the city morgue receives 50 to 100 bodies a day, caused by the war and by natural causes. when a russian missile struck this institute, the entire neighborhood was damaged in the blast. this 85-year-old tells us she hung on to the door frame when the shelling started. >> what happened when the shells hit? >> i was right here.

>> sergei is an opera singer, turned volunteer. he was shot seven times as he tried to evacuate a local residence. >> who was shooting at you? >> sergei's body should heal in time and he celebrated with an old italian song of resistance. ♪

>> death and displacement have come to everybody's doorstep. but there are many here who are determined to hold on. john sparks, sky news, kharkiv. a ukrainian mp originally from mariupol says that russia is trying to starve the besieged city. the mp joins us now on the program. dmitri, great to have you with us today, and i do hope you're staying safe and well. and as i understand it, you are a member of parliament for kyiv but from mariupol originally. you must be absolutely disappointed with the home town. >> it is hard to see. everything i knew has been destroyed. my university. my neighborhood. everything. years of my life. and not just my feeling, and i

will get used to it, 300,000 people who still live in mariupol, and it is much more important, and they're even without heating and water. and it is medieval conditions. and the shelling never stops. and shooting in mariupol never stops. and yesterday, two reporters left mariupol, so we don't know even like nobody can say what's going on there. and nobody is looking at the war crimes now, because now, 300,000 people in mariupol, without food, it's not a war anymore, and it is a besieged city, and that russia wants to institute hunger to enforce its position, its processes, and what russia

does. >> to what extent, as we look at pictures of a heavily, heavily bombed part of your hometown, to what extent is humanitarian aid able to get into mariupol and to what extent are people able to get out? >> russia doesn't want to open any humanitarian corridors in or out. and they have created a siege. we see that russia is interested for all of the people will have no food and no water. and i know that several days ago in mariupol, people were happy, when they had the snow, because they could melt the snow, for water, and people have water, with the radiator system in the buildings. but it's not forever. and people in several days will start dieing from dehydration and from lack of food. that's reality. >> we have heard a number of times now, and from president

zelenskyy that this is now the time for face to face talks, that there needs to be some sort of negotiated settlement, to bring about an end to the destruction, to the death, just to the violence that you're seeing. and pretty much all of the country. do you agree with that? or do you think that having negotiations with vladimir putin could never be genuine? >> i agree with mr. zelenskyy, with our president, that we have to use any form that we can, and we have to support any talks we, can and very pessimistic about any diplomat agreements with putin because all of us see they're less than the paper they're written on. and it was always like. >> this and they never honor the agreements. and ner fulfill, never fulfill their agreements. so not only for the decision of

the war, it's the sanctions decision. and russia has to collapse. and it will be for everybody, like it will happen with everybody in the region, everybody, and we know that 86% in russia now supports the continuing of war with europe and 75% agree, or support the war with poland. so it's not about ukrainian anymore. it's already world war three that was started. and i think that we, to think that it will stop with ukraine is just childish. >> thank you so much for being with us and sharing your experiences from inside ukraine. and really spreesht it -- appreciate it. stay safe. >> thank you. after traveling from new york to kyiv for business, a

ukraine american couple were unable to flee the country ahead of russia's invasion. due to dalia being nine months pregnant. they have since welcomed a baby boy. but remain unable to return to america. pleased to say however, we can speak to them now. sergei, dalia, very good morning to you. and i've heard some horrible, horrible stories emerging from kyiv over the past few week, but this one has to be up there. first and foremost, how is your son doing? >> doing great. these are terrible circumstances. but for him, we are so happy, and he's healthy and it's great news for us. >> we have to go see doctors and there are no doctors left anymore. so there's's -- there's

difficulties that we face. and my hometown, where i'm originally from, my whole family is there, so my parents are in the basement of their house, and my sister, with her family, at the czech republic, and raising her in the outskirts of the city of kyiv, so we are in a safe position. and this photo that you're showing right now is taken two days ago. the streets are constantly empty. this is our wedding two years ago. also in the city of kyiv. >> so just surviving, i guess. and praying that the war stops one day. and then we will be able to get back home and do what we used to do. and the baby has no papers to travel, unfortunately, because the embassy in ukraine, there is nobody to address the issue.

and we have written the letters to the embassy in europe, they're ready to see us, but here comes the second problem, sergei sunday 60 years old and no men can leave the country, so we're here, and for how long, we have absolutely no idea, and we really have absolutely no bread, we are baking bread. >> sorry to interrupt, just on that, what level of communication are you able to have with officials in the united states, is there any suggestion from the u.s. saying that could be some assistance to get you out of the country a 1-month-old baby, in kyiv, at a time like this. sergei is a green card holder and a citizen of ukraine and technically not -- >> we called the state department and there is a hot line there, and unfortunately, they were not able to really

assist us, and exactly to contact the embassies in neighboring countries. and we wrote in the mail to them, and they say, guys, we will be happy to have you here, but of course, we couldn't cross the border just yet. we hope that the government here will resolve the situation, because many families were just separated, because the wives are already in europe somewhere, like refugees, and their husbands are here in ukraine. >> they're in the army. >> and i could have left and i don't really want it leave my husband behind. so we're trying to make the best out of it. >> sergei, zalla, congratulations, first and

foremost on the birth of your new one, and i really appreciate you taking the time. stay safe sand hopefully you'll manage to get somewhere else quite soon. thanks for talking to us. >> thank you. >> sisters alexander and katalina managed to escape from war-torn mariupol from ukraine to poland and pleased to say one of the sisters alexandra joins us now on the program. and you must be very, very happy that you have made your way to safety but i suspect also very, very sad that you had to leave your country behind. >> yes, we have, my sister and i are staying in poland, so that's why i'm on now, and it's a strange feeling, that we come to a country, where okay, all right, and you see, and you understand it's this world, and

this place where you were five days ago, it's now crazy, and a dream, a very bad dream. it's not real. >> alexander, when you close your eyes at night and think about the experiences that you had in mariupol, as you see it, it must be almost unbelievable, tell us a little bit what it was like just before you managed to get yourself out? >> what was it like being in mariupol? >> how was it? the conditions that you were experiencing, we've seen pictures, of large parts of the city blown to smithereens. >> what i see, how coming down, with the bombs, we was in a red cross office, and the red cross volunteer, and near our building, from 20 meters of us,

falling down, other bomb. and when we come to the earth, it moved some rocks and metal falling down, i guess 20 seconds, we just stayed like this, and it hit my back, like someone kicked me. and the sounds, i don't hear anything after, but now it is okay. the most horrible i guess was that being on the street, we can't do anything. with the red cross, we tried to help a lot of people, and we

don't do anything with dead people, and it's really horrible, you know. it sounds like something really crazy, really crazy, but in that time, it was like normal. like dead people in the streets, it's normal. >> i'm so sorry, we have to leave it there. i'm so pleased that you managed to make your way out of the area but i cannot begin to imagine the thoughts going through your head about friends and family you left behind. we're pleased you took the time to talk to us. i really appreciate it. now, in the second year, the peace band challenge, recognizing a child had to make because of conflict, a difficult journey a child had to make because of the war in ukraine. we have more from rob williams. from cambridge.

we're pushed for time. please tell us exactly what peace band is all about. >> peace band is a fundraiser. and it encouraging people to work or, walk or run, and you can log on to peace band, and you'll find it, and so between now and april the 11th, you can go on a journey and the journey of a 20-mile journey, which a child would take in afghanistan to go and find work and get money for their family or a 330-mile journey that a child would take to escape from a bombed out building and get to a refugee camp. so you can kind of live or experience that distance that children have to walk or, you know, get transport to get to safety, and the great thing this year, it will fund the emergency responses in places like ukraine. but every pound that's raised this year on peace band will be doubled by the u.k. government.

>> good to hear, isn't it? >> just a view from you, it feels to me, like this is a conflict in which for some reason, for the public at large, is rather more aware of the fact that children are being directly affected by the violence. why might you think that is? >> i think it's much more on the tv than some of the places we work, and in yemen and afghanistan, for example, where children are livings they experiences, there are not that many journalists around so the news doesn't get out as easily as it does this way. in ukraine. and the underlying idea though is if a child is caught in a conflict zone, it's a shocking thing, and people really, really want to help. and what we can see in the public, in terms of the u.k.

public in terms of generosity and support, it is quite staggering. >> rob, we're 10 seconds from hitting the end. we will have the details on the campaign for peace band challenge. thank you so much.

day 27 of the russian invasion of ukraine, and the battle intensifies for the strategic city of mariupol. refusing to back down, ukraine rejects russia's ultimatum to surrender. and with russia having failed to secure a quick victim i have president biden says vladimir putin is now considering chemical or biological weapons in ukraine and cyber attacks against the united states. we will break down all that is at stake as president biden prepares to travel to belgium to meet with nato