Bbc live report.
Summary
An aircraft maintenance plant close to Lviv has been hit with missiles, the city's mayor says
It is the closest the war has come to the historic city in western Ukraine, which has been a safe haven for people fleeing fighting
The mayor says no casualties have been reported so far and rescue workers are at the site
Two million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began, the Polish Border Guard agency says
Ukrainian counterattacks and logistical woes are stalling Russia's offensive in Ukraine, according to a UK military assessment
US President Joe Biden will urge China not to provide Russia with military equipment in a call with President Xi Jinping later
Survivors are reported to be emerging from the ruins of a theatre in Mariupol that Ukrainian authorities say was bombed by Russia
by James Clarke
• Send an email to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
1. Posted at 7:247:24
130 rescued so far from attacked Mariupol theatre, official says
One hundred and thirty people have been rescued so far from the rubble of a theatre hit by an airstrike yesterday in Mariupol, Ukraine's human rights commissioner says.
Hundreds of people were sheltering underground when the theatre was bombed by Russia, ripping the building apart, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
In a televised address, human rights commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova said rescue work is ongoing at the site and there are still 1,300 people in the basement.
Azov/ReutersCopyright: Azov/Reuters
Remains of the drama theatre which was hit by a bombImage caption: Remains of the drama theatre which was hit by a bomb
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2. Posted at 7:117:11
'Our beautiful city was growing so fast - now it's in ruins'
Joel Gunter
BBC News, Ukraine
BBCCopyright: BBC
Three families who escaped the horror of Mariupol yesterday were last night reflecting on their beautiful city in ruins.
"Mariupol was growing and becoming more and more beautiful," says Oleksii Pekariev, a software developer who grew up in the city and sheltered the families in his basement.
"Restaurants and bars were opening, the centre was renovated, buildings were painted," The 29-year-old says.
Alina Salikova, 30, an English translator, bought two apartments in the city last year - both now badly damaged.
"Mariupol was growing so fast, I believed in it and wanted to invest," she says.
BBCCopyright: BBC
When Liudmyla Chernik, 33, returned from Oleksii's basement to her bombed-out family home to get clothes, she says she found people inside it scavenging for food.
"Russia is making an example of Mariupol, punishing it," she says, adding: "They want to show what happens to a city that resists."
An estimated 80% of buildings in the strategic port city have been damaged or destroyed.
전략적 항구도시의 80%가 손상되거나 파괴됨.
Liudmyla's husband Oleksii says he fears there will be nothing to go home to.
"We lived normal lives in Mariupol. We went to work, to dinner, we saw our families," he explains.
"All we want is to go back and help rebuild but we know it is impossible."
.Copyright: .
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3. Posted at 7:017:01
UK issues 6,500 visas under Ukraine family scheme
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Some 6,500 visas had been issued by the UK to Ukrainian refugees under the Ukraine family scheme as of 17:00 GMT on Thursday, the country's Home Office has reported.
This is 400 more than the previous total on Wednesday of 6,100 visas granted.
Some 2,000 applications have been submitted in that time, taking the total so far to 27,000, according to provisional data published on its website.
The UK government is also running a separate sponsorship visa scheme - Homes for Ukraine - for people wanting to host a refugee, On the day it was launched, 100,000 signed up.
The UK government has faced criticism - including from its own MPs - over the speed and scale of its response to the refugee crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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4. Posted at 6:506:50
Where is attacked aircraft repair plant in Lviv?
BBCCopyright: BBC
As we've been reporting, Russian cruise missiles this morning hit an aircraft repair plant in Lviv, western Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force.
The plant wasn't in operation at the time and no casualties have been reported so far, Lviv's mayor says.
As our map above shows, the plant is only a short distance from the Danylo Halytskyi International Airport of Lviv.
Located about 5km from the city centre, the airport used to offer flights to more than 50 international destinations, including Madrid, London and Paris.
GoogleCopyright: Google
A Google Street View image from 2015 of the aircraft repair plant that was reportedly hit by a cruise missile strikeImage caption: A Google Street View image from 2015 of the aircraft repair plant that was reportedly hit by a cruise missile strike
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5. Posted at 6:386:38
Ukrainian refugees met with solidarity but also fatigue in Poland
Mark Lowen
BBC News, Jaroslaw
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Over the past three weeks here, I’ve seen an outpouring of solidarity from Poland towards the arrival of Ukrainian refugees.
There have been the small gestures, like a café donating its tips to refugees, or restaurants that have stopped serving the public and now only cook for those in the shelters.
There has been an army of volunteers helping out at reception centres and border crossings - and there are the countless Poles taking people into their own homes.
But there is also a sense of growing fatigue in some places.
Smaller border towns are running out of accommodation, urging refugees to move to bigger cities further west, which are in turn feeling huge strain.
The refugees talk of returning home soon but with the war escalating, Poland is planning for long-term shelter and integration. Nearly 70,000 Ukrainian children are now enrolled in Polish schools.
Poland’s government has passed an 8bn zloty ($1.75bn/£1.3bn) bill to allow them to work here for at least 18 months and help with social security, education and accommodation.
The fear is that when weeks turn into months, and maybe even longer, the warm welcome they have received could begin to cool.
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6. Posted at 6:266:26
Could UK be a guarantor in Ukraine-Russia peace deal?
The UK could act as a guarantor to ensure the terms of any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia are honoured, the armed forces minister is hinting.
James Heappey is asked on BBC Breakfast whether or not the UK would consider offering to act as a "backstop" to protect Ukraine in the event of any future Russian military action, if Ukraine accepted Russia's demand for Ukraine to undergo a disarmament process.
Disarmament is one of several demands set out by President Putin in a call to Turkish leaders yesterday.
"I don't think anything is off the table in terms of what the UK and our allies would be willing to do in order to facilitate a peace deal, and what part we might play in guaranteeing that peace deal in the future," Heappey says.
He adds it is essential the Russian government first stops being "belligerent" so that a peace deal can actually be agreed on by the two countries.
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7. Posted at 6:126:12
Kremlin calls Ofcom's ban of Russia Today in UK 'madness'
A bit more now on the news that Ofcom has revoked Russian-backed TV channel Russia Today's licence to broadcast in the UK.
The Kremlin has called the decision "madness", Reuters news agency reports.
Ofcom said earlier in a statement that it was not satisfied RT could be a responsible broadcaster.
See our previous post from this morning for more.
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8. Posted at 6:026:02
Bombing hampers Mariupol theatre rescue
Hugo Bachega
BBC News, Lviv
.Copyright: .
Rescue workers continue to dig the rubble of Mariupol's drama theatre that officials say was hit by a Russian air strike on Wednesday.
Hundreds of civilians were believed to be in the building, which had been clearly marked as a civilian shelter.
Communications with the besieged city are difficult, and the authorities still don't have an estimate on survivors or possible casualties.
Mariupol's mayor Vadym Boychenko tells me: "Right now a rescue operation is in progress.
"So we need more time [to give an estimate on survivors and casualties]. The city is still being bombed, and that's interfering in the rescue operation."
Dmytro Gurin, a Ukrainian MP from Mariupol whose parents are trapped in the city, tells me some people had managed to leave the area.
"But everything is in rubble. The bomb shelter has three zones and we don't know exactly what's going on with every zone.
"It looks like the bomb shelters weren't damaged but people cannot get out because we cannot clear the rubble because of artillery fire and it's very, very dangerous."
.Copyright: .
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9. Posted at 5:515:51
One killed in shelling on Kharkiv flats and education site
State Emergency ServiceCopyright: State Emergency Service
One person has been killed and 11 injured after shelling hit a higher education institution and residential buildings in Kharkiv, emergency services say.
The attack severely damaged the six-storey "educational building", along with two neighbouring apartment blocks, the services say.
Emergency workers have managed to put out a fire, and are working through the rubble to free one person who is still trapped inside.
State Emergency ServiceCopyright: State Emergency Service
The shelling hit two neighbouring residential buildings, authorities sayImage caption: The shelling hit two neighbouring residential buildings, authorities say
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10. Posted at 5:435:43
Two reported killed in airstrike on Kramatorsk
Pavlo Kyrylenko/TelegramCopyright: Pavlo Kyrylenko/Telegram
We're hearing reports two people have been killed in shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city Kramatorsk.
Regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko says six people were also wounded in the attack on a residential block and an administrative building.
He has shared unverified footage showing a huge fireball exploding in the city as a rocket strikes, followed by a large plume of black smoke.
Pavlo Kyrylenko/TelegramCopyright: Pavlo Kyrylenko/Telegram
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11. Posted at 5:225:22
Lviv airport attack cause for concern - UK armed forces minister
BBCCopyright: BBC
We've been updating you on an attack near Lviv airport that reportedly hit an aircraft repair plant.
UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey says the missile strike is a cause for concern.
He tells BBC Breakfast: "It is very much a part of war that you go after each other's supply lines. But the reality is this development will be a concern for people living in the west of Ukraine."
Heappey adds the UK is now in the process of training up Ukrainians to use Starstreak anti-aircraft missile systems, which should arrive in the country "imminently".
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12. Posted at 5:095:09
Two million refugees: Poland prepares for marathon response
Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent
BBCCopyright: BBC
A group of young refugees from Ukraine take part in a karate class in eastern PolandImage caption: A group of young refugees from Ukraine take part in a karate class in eastern Poland
In the early stages of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, most of the Ukrainians fleeing the war went to stay with family and friends already living in Poland. As time has passed, the proportion of refugees with nowhere to stay has grown.
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine for Poland has now reached two million and at least 1.1 million of them have stayed. And although thousands of Poles have opened their own homes to them, large Polish cities including Warsaw and Krakow that are attracting the most are saying they have reached their capacity to accommodate them.
Temporary accommodation centres set up in sports halls and conference centres across the country are designed to cater to people for a few days only. Authorities urgently need to make housing available that can accommodate the refugees for several months. Both the government and President Andrzej Duda are calling for greater international assistance, recognising the response to the crisis will not be a sprint but a marathon.
There’s still broad support across the political spectrum for the refugees. Only the small far-right Confederation party is complaining about Ukrainians receiving benefits that Poles do not, such as free travel on the trains. Journalists boycotted their most recent news conference in disgust.
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13. Posted at 4:574:57
BREAKINGTwo million refugees have fled to Poland from Ukraine
Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent
Two million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began, the Polish Border Guard agency says.
The number was reached on Friday at 08:00 GMT, the agency wrote on Twitter.
They are predominately women and children, it said.
More than half a million people have already left Poland, according to Warsaw University migration research professor Maciej Duszczyk.
Most have gone to stay in large cities including Warsaw and Krakow, whose officials are complaining that they have reached their capacity to accommodate them.
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14. Posted at 4:434:43
Russia Today criticises Ofcom ban
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
More now on news that Ofcom has revoked Russian-backed television channel Russia Today's licence to broadcast in the UK.
It comes after the UK's media regulator launched an investigation into the impartiality of the channel's coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A statement released by the regulator says: "We consider the volume and potentially serious nature of the issues raised within such a short period to be of great concern - especially given RT's compliance history, which has seen the channel fined £200,000 for previous due impartiality breaches.
"In this context, we launched a separate investigation to determine whether ANO TV Novosti is fit and proper to retain its licence to broadcast."
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes says: "Freedom of expression is something we guard fiercely in this country, and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high."
RT is responding by saying the regulator has shown it is "nothing more than a tool of the British government", according to Reuters.
The channel had already disappeared from all broadcast platforms in the UK earlier this month as a result of a ban imposed by the European Union.
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15. Posted at 4:314:31
Nearly two million have fled to Poland
Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Just a few hundred short of two million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began, the Polish Border Guard agency said on Friday.
On Thursday, 52,500 people crossed the frontier, the agency wrote on Twitter, down 11% from Wednesday. That brings the total to 1,999,500.
As of 06:00 GMT, 7,100 people have crossed on Friday, down 41% from the same period on Thursday, the agency says.
More than half a million people have already left Poland, according to Warsaw University migration research professor Maciej Duszczyk.
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16. Posted at 4:214:21
Ukraine humiliating Russia on battlefield, says military expert
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A Ukrainian Ministry of Defence image shows a Russian helicopter being shot down by its forces in early MarchImage caption: A Ukrainian Ministry of Defence image shows a Russian helicopter being shot down by its forces in early March
Ukraine is "humiliating" Russia on the battlefield and "wiping the floor with them in terms of world opinion", says a UK military expert.
Prof Michael Clarke, former director of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, says: "The Russians are making almost every tactical mistake it is possible to make."
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he explains: "They [Russian troops] look like forces that were completely unprepared, that hadn’t thought through what a major campaign might look like.
"The Ukrainians are stalling the Russian advance in all areas and even operating now quite effective counter attacks. The Russians are losing a lot of equipment and troops."
Prof Clarke says Ukraine has a "Nato standard" battlefield command and control system, built with help from Nato countries since 2014.
The attack on an plane maintenance plant in Lviv this morning makes it "clear the Russians are going for the infrastructure that is keeping Ukrainian aircraft in the air", he says.
Striking the western city just 70km from the Polish border is also "an attempt to frighten the West out of helping Ukrainians as much as they have been", he adds.
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17. Posted at 4:144:14
BREAKINGOfcom revokes Russia Today's licence in UK
Ofcom says it has revoked Russian state-backed broadcaster Russia Today's licence to broadcast in the UK with immediate effect.
It adds in a statement: "We have done so on the basis that we do not consider RT's licensee, ANO TV Novosti, fit and proper to hold a UK broadcast licence."
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18. Posted at 4:094:09
BREAKINGOne killed after downed rocket hits Kyiv flats
State Emergency Service/TelegramCopyright: State Emergency Service/Telegram
One person has been killed and four wounded after debris from a downed Russian missile fell on a residential building in a northern part of Kyiv, emergency services say.
Services say 12 people were rescued and 98 were evacuated from the five-storey building in the Podilskyi district.
Photos shared by emergency services show firefighters battling to control a blaze, amid badly damaged buildings, burnt-out vehicles and a large crater. Rescue efforts are ongoing, they say.
State Emergency Service/TelegramCopyright: State Emergency Service/Telegram
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19. Posted at 4:064:06
What do we know so far about Lviv attacks?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Strikes reportedly hit buildings near Lviv's airportImage caption: Strikes reportedly hit buildings near Lviv's airport
We've been bringing you updates about explosions near Lviv - the first time the western city has come under attack since Russia launched its invasion.
Residents and BBC reporters in Lviv reported hearing a series of explosions early this morning, before seeing a thick plume of black smoke rising in the sky from outside the city.
Lviv's mayor then said Russian missiles had struck the area near the airport, hitting an aircraft repair plant building but not the airport itself. The plant had stopped working an no-one was hurt, he said.
Ukraine's air force says six cruise missiles were fired from the Black Sea. Two of them were destroyed by anti-aircraft missiles.
It said the type of missile was a Kh-555 - an air missile launched from heavy strategic bombers.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A plume of smoke could be seen rising in the direction of Lviv airportImage caption: A plume of smoke could be seen rising in the direction of Lviv airport
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20. Posted at 3:573:57
Noose tightening around Mariupol, Russian defence ministry says
Russia's defence ministry says separatists in eastern Ukraine, with help from Russia's armed forces, are "tightening the noose" around the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reports.
The ministry adds that fighting is ongoing in the centre of Mariupol.
This morning the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said Mariupol is likely to fall in coming weeks amid a sustained Russian assault.
On Wednesday, Mariupol's theatre - where civilians were sheltering - was destroyed, with Ukrainian authorities saying it had been shelled by Russia.
The Russian word for "children" had been marked on the ground in large letters in two locations outside the building, in the hope of warning bombers away.
Video content
Video caption: Ukraine war: Mariupol theatre destroyed in bombingUkraine war: Mariupol theatre destroyed in bombing
For almost three weeks, Mariupol has been under constant shelling by Russian forces, which have completely surrounded the city. About 300,000 people are trapped but it's been reported 30,000 have managed to flee.
1. 3:47
14,200 Russian soldiers killed since start of war, Ukraine says
As we enter day 23 of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian defence ministry says in its daily update on Facebook that an estimated 14,200 Russian soldiers have been killed since the conflict began.
Pinning down the exact number of casualties on each side has proven challenging, with both Russia and Ukraine claiming wildly different tallies and losses.
In a rare update on 3 March, Russia claimed 498 of its troops had been killed in combat, but it has remained silent about releasing further figures since then.
Meanwhile, US officials said on Thursday the number of Russian casualties could well be over 7,000, with up to 14,000 injured.
Among other damage inflicted on Russian armaments and vehicles, Ukraine claims its forces have also taken down:
• 450 tanks
• 93 aircraft
• 112 helicopters
• and disabled 43 anti-aircraft systems.
The BBC has been unable to independently verify these claims.
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2. Posted at 3:383:38
Warehouse storing weapons in Mykolaiv region hit - reports
In the southern city of Voznesensk in the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine a warehouse where weapons were being stored has reportedly been struck by Russian shelling, reports Ukraine 24 citing the city's mayor.
There isn't any information yet on whether there are casualties, it adds.
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3. Posted at 3:233:23
Is this a shift from Lviv being a safe haven?
Jonah Fisher
BBC News, Lviv
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
A large cloud of smoke is drifting across the horizon from a point about four miles to the west of Lviv city centre.
The local mayor says a building used to repair aircraft next to the city airport was hit in the early hours of the morning - with no reports of casualties.
This Russian strike - most likely with cruise missiles - is the closest the war has come to the historic city of Lviv.
Up until now western Ukraine has been quieter than the rest of the country and has been used as a safe haven, a hub for people fleeing and a supply route, both for humanitarian and military purposes.
In the past week there have been signs of a shift, with another airstrip and a military base used by Nato troops for training hit by missiles.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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4. Posted at 3:033:03
Russia has made minimal progess this week - UK
The UK's Defence Ministry says Russian forces have made "minimal progress this week".
Their latest morning brief notes that Ukrainian forces around Kyiv and Mykolaiv "continue to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities."
It notes that Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled by Russian forces and have experienced heavy shelling.
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5. Posted at 2:572:57
What’s been happening today?
Ukraine SESCopyright: Ukraine SES
If you’re just joining us on this 23rd day of the Russian invasion, here is a quick recap of the latest developments:
• An maintenance plant near the airport in Lviv was hit earlier this morning. No casualties have been reported. Lviv is 70km from the Polish border, well away from the main battle zones in the east and south of Ukraine
• US and UK defence officials say Russian forces have made no recent territorial advances, and may be struggling with morale and logistical problems
• Shelling has continued in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, but local forces have held their ground
• Local authorities say the south-eastern city of Mariupol remains under heavy assault by Russian forces, but around 30,000 people have managed to flee
• Survivors are said to be emerging from the ruins of a theatre in Mariupol that Ukrainian authorities say was bombed by Russia
• Officials say more than 1,000 Ukrainians were evacuated from the Kyiv region overnight, ferried out in buses and cars
• US President Joe Biden is expected to warn his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on a call later on Friday that China will face "costs" if they rescue Russia from Western sanctions
This is Yvette Tan in Singapore signing off and handing over to my colleagues Alex Therrien, Jo Couzens and Jack Hunter in London.
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6. Posted at 2:432:43
BREAKINGNo casualties reported in Lviv: Mayor
No casualties have been reported so far after a building in Lviv was hit earlier this morning by several missiles, the city's mayor said in a post on Telegram.
The building has been identified as an airplane maintenance plant. Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said active work on the plant had earlier been stopped.
He added that rescue workers were currently on site.
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7. Posted at 2:312:31
What do we know about Lviv?
BBCCopyright: BBC
We reported that a building near the area of the airport in Lviv was hit earlier this morning.
Lviv is just 80km (50 miles) from the Polish border, well away from the main battle zones in the east and south.
The area had been spared from bombardment, but five days ago there was a similar attack on a military training facility at Yavoriv, 30km (19 miles) from Lviv.
Our BBC correspondent in Lviv, Jonah Fisher, said the area used to be considered a "safe haven".
He says the shelling is possibly in an attempt by Russian forces to "cut off the supply of weapons into the country", as major routes tend to run via Poland.
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8. Posted at 2:202:20
Firefighter putting out explosion killed by further shelling
Ukraine's emergency services have just put out an update saying that a firefighter attending to an explosion has been killed by further shelling.
The unnamed worker had been helping extinguish a fire at a shopping centre in Kharkiv on Thursday, after it was hit in a Russian strike.
"During firefighting, the enemy fired again. Two rescuers received shrapnel wounds," the service wrote on Its social media.
One later died of his injuries in hospital.
UKRAINE SESCopyright: UKRAINE SES
Kharkiv was hit by several Russian bombs on ThursdayImage caption: Kharkiv was hit by several Russian bombs on Thursday
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9. Posted at 2:032:03
BREAKINGBuilding next to Lviv airport hit: Mayor
The mayor of Lviv has said on his Telegram that the airport was not hit, but a building next to it was.
"It's definitely not an airport," he wrote.
If confirmed as a Russian missile strike this is the closest that they have struck to the historic city of Lviv since the war began three weeks ago.
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10. Posted at 1:441:44
Sumy could see humanitarian corridors open Friday
BBCCopyright: BBC
The mayor of the Sumy region, in the north east of Ukraine, has posted details about possible humanitarian corridors that could open Friday in the region.
Buses and vans would be sent to towns to help transport people - there are six different routes, all of which lead to Poltava in central Ukraine.
Sumy, which is close to the Russian border and frontline, has experienced heavy shelling, with power and water cut off in recent weeks.
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11. Posted at 1:221:22
Unconfirmed reports say Lviv's airport hit
Hugo Bachega
BBC News, Lviv
The air raid sirens went off in Lviv at 06:08 (04:08 GMT), and from our hotel we can now see thick smoke billowing in the distance.
Unconfirmed reports say the city’s airport has been hit.
The west of the country has been largely spared of attacks by Russia in this three-week old war.
Last Sunday, an attack at a military base near the city and close to the Polish border left at least 35 people dead.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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12. Posted at 1:121:12
Large cloud of smoke 'from direction of airport'
A large cloud of smoke can be seen in the western city of Lviv coming from the direction of the airport 6 km (3.7 miles) from the city centre, said the BBC's correspondent Jonah Fisher, who is currently in the city.
An alert from the Ukrainian authorities said explosions had been heard near the city.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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13. Posted at 1:061:06
BREAKINGExplosions heard in Lviv: Reports
According to Ukraine 24 television station, blasts were heard in various parts of the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine at around 6:30.
On its Telegram channel, it posted a video showing a large plume of smoke on the horizon in the city.
Ukrainian journalist Ostap Yarysh, who reports for Voice of America's Ukrainian service, said in a tweet that he heard several explosions.
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14. Posted at 0:510:51
Evacuations out of Kyiv region continue: SES
Ukraine's state emergency services has shared these photos of overnight evacuations from the Kyiv region.
More than 1,000 Ukrainians were ferried out Thursday night on buses and in cars, officials said in a post on social media.
It added that they were currently in a "safe place".
UKRAINE SESCopyright: UKRAINE SES
Rescuers and officers in fatigues help usher fleeing civilians onto waiting buses leaving the Kyiv regionImage caption: Rescuers and officers in fatigues help usher fleeing civilians onto waiting buses leaving the Kyiv region
UKRAINE SESCopyright: UKRAINE SES
The SES said it used 28 buses tonightImage caption: The SES said it used 28 buses tonight
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15. Posted at 0:300:30
Air raid sirens in western Ukraine: Reports
Air raids sirens are sounding in multiple areas across western Ukraine this morning, say reports.
According to national news agency Ukrinform, sirens are sounding in the Rivne, Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
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16. Posted at 0:220:22
Burger King partner 'refused' to shut Russia shops
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The operator of 800 Burger King stores in Russia has "refused" to shut them, the fast food chain's owner says.
Restaurant Brands International said it had asked its local partner Alexander Kolobov to shut the shops following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"He has refused to do so," president David Shear said in a letter to staff.
Mr Shear said the company was in the midst of unwinding its 15% stake in the business.
Burger King is among a small number of Western brands that are finding it difficult to leave the market because of "complicated" contracts.
Read the full story here.
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17. Posted at 0:070:07
Philippines will not commit troops to Ukraine: Duterte
Howard Johnson
Philippines Correspondent, BBC News
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not commit troops to fight in Ukraine if America were to engage in the conflict.
America and the Philippines have a mutual defence treaty which commits both nations to support each other if either country were attacked by an external party.
"I won't commit. If the Americans engage in a war and they're here, why will I send my soldiers? It's not our battle to fight,” said Duterte in a speech on Thursday.
"If the violence spills over and the war somehow gets here, that will be very difficult. For as long as I'm President, I won't send a single soldier of mine to go to war," he added.
After taking office in mid-2016, Duterte has taken steps to strengthen relations with Moscow, while criticising U.S. security policies.
Duterte has met Russian President Vladimir Putin twice in Moscow. In Thursday’s speech he described Mr Putin as a “personal friend" and has in the past reportedly described the Russian leader as his “idol”.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte in a 2017 meetingImage caption: Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte in a 2017 meeting
However, he also made a comparison with the Ukraine conflict with his ‘War on Drugs’, which has seen thousands of drug suspects killed during police operations since starting in 2016.
"Putin is killing civilians there,” said Duterte, "I only killed criminals because of drugs.”
1. 23:42 17 Mar
Australia and Japan impose more sanctions
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Russian billionaire Oleg DeripaskaImage caption: Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska
Australia and Japan have just turned up the sanctions dial on Moscow.
Canberra added Russian billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, and 11 banks and government entities to its sanctions list.
"With our recent inclusion of the Central Bank of Russia, Australia has now targeted all Russian Government entities responsible for issuing and managing Russia’s sovereign debt," foreign minister Marise Payne said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Tokyo has sanctioned 15 more Russians and nine organisations, including state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
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2. Posted at 23:26 17 Mar23:26 17 Mar
Chinese official meets Russia ambassador to China
A Chinese foreign ministry official met with Russia's ambassador to China on Thursday to exchange views on bilateral relations, said news outlet Reuters quoting China's foreign ministry.
Cheng Guoping, Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Affairs at China's foreign ministry, met with Andrey Denisov of Russia and exchanged views on bilateral counter-terrorism and security cooperation, said the report.
The meeting comes amidst fears that Beijing would be receptive to overtures from Russia to provide military aid in its invasion of Ukraine.
The US has warned it would "not hesitate to impose costs” on China if it assists Russia directly with military equipment.
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3. Posted at 23:08 17 Mar23:08 17 Mar
What's been happening today?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
As we enter the 23rd day of the Russian invasion, here is a quick recap of key developments over the past day:
• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky invoked the fall of the Berlin Wall as he called on German MPs to "tear down" a new type of wall dividing Europe between freedom and oppression
• His Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin laid out his demands for a peace deal with Ukraine in a phone call with the Turkish leader
• Russia said it would not put forward a humanitarian resolution for a UN vote on Friday as it had planned, accusing the US of pressuring nations not to support it
• Defence officials in the US and UK say Russian forces have made no recent territorial advances, and may be struggling with morale and logistical problems
• Shells rained down on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, but local forces held their ground
• Local authorities say the south-eastern city of Mariupol remains under heavy assault by Russian forces, but around 30,000 people have managed to flee
• US President Joe Biden is expected to warn his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on a call later on Friday that China will face "costs" if they rescue Russia from Western sanctions
With that, this is Jude Sheerin in Washington DC signing off and handing over to my colleagues Yvette Tan, Zubaidah Abduljalil and Frances Mao in Singapore.
Thursday's live coverage was also brought to you by Jessica Murphy, Nathan Williams, Max Matza, Bernd Debusmann and Sam Cabral at BBC locations around the world.
1. 22:39 17 Mar
How much will US weapons help Ukraine?
Bernd Debusmann
BBC News, Washington
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier holding a Javelin anti-tank missile systemImage caption: A Ukrainian soldier holding a Javelin anti-tank missile system
The Javelin is a shoulder-held anti-tank weapon that shoots heat-seeking rockets at targets up to 4km (2.5 miles) away.
It can be controlled by a portable unit that doesn't look much different from a video game console - but can send a metre-long projectile straight through the side or top of an armoured tank.
The very presence of these American-made weapons "causes panic" among Russian troops, the Ukrainian military claims - and it is about to get 2,000 more of them.
Javelin missiles are among the items promised to Ukraine by the US in a new $800m (£608m) military assistance package announced by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Other armaments include drones that can be turned into flying bombs and anti-aircraft weapons that can shoot helicopters from the sky.
Can these weapons help Ukraine turn the tide? Read more.
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2. Posted at 22:17 17 Mar22:17 17 Mar
Fall of Mariupol may be imminent - US think tank
There's a few interesting tidbits in the latest daily assessment from the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank.
It says the southern port city of Mariupol is likely to fall in coming weeks amid a sustained Russian assault.
ISW analysis finds that Russian forces made no major territorial progress on Thursday, concurring with US and UK intelligence assessments.
But ISW concludes the "total destruction" of Mariupol and increased targeting of its residential areas may lead to its capitulation or eventual capture.
The think tank also says Ukrainian forces on Thursday appear to have inflicted heavy damage on Russian forces around Kyiv, and repelled Russian operations in the Kharkiv region.
It notes, too, that Ukraine's air defence continues to be effective, having shot down 10 Russian aircraft on Wednesday alone.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia may have expended nearly its entire store of precision cruise missiles in the first 20 days of its invasion.
Meanwhile, low morale is being reported among Syrian recruits, including several cases of self-mutilation to avoid fighting.
Many mercenaries see deployment to the region as a chance to desert and migrate to the EU, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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3. Posted at 21:41 17 Mar21:41 17 Mar
The agony deepens in Mariupol
Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent
Mariupol is now a symbol of suffering, a city where people are starving and freezing, where there’s not enough calm to bury all the dead.
Local officials say 90% of this southern port city is now smashed – including its elegant white theatre destroyed last night.
Rescuers are pulling survivors from the wreckage. The theatre’s solid underground bunker protected the hundreds, mainly women and children, who sheltered there.
Today brought respite for some, who have managed to flee the city, including Svitlana.
She says - with no gas, water or electricity - she has been cooking outside and sleeping in several layers of clothes, but whole blocks of flats have helped each other.
"And take into account that at night we were being constantly shelled it meant we had to sleep on the floor in the corridor," she adds.
Some 30,000 people have managed to flee. But some 350,000 are said to still be stuck in a city firmly in Moscow’s sights.
Mariupol matters because it sits in a coastal corridor between two regions of Ukraine already under Russia’s sway. A Ukrainian defence adviser I spoke to said he fears the worst is to come.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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4. Posted at 21:18 17 Mar21:18 17 Mar
Zelensky tells Ukraine that Germany 'looking for a new path'
Facebook/ ZelenskyCopyright: Facebook/ Zelensky
Germany is "looking for a new path" away from Russia, President Volodymr Zelensky has said in his latest nightly Facebook address.
He said his speech to German lawmakers on Thursday was delivered "not just as President, but as a Ukrainian citizen. As a European.
"As someone who has felt for many years that the German state seems to have fenced itself off us with a wall. Invisible yet solid wall."
In that speech, he called on Germans to do more to tear down a new type of Berlin Wall that he said now divided freedom from oppression.
The speech was uncomfortable listening for many MPs as Zelensky criticised German energy policy and business interests for contributing to that wall of division.
In Thursday night's address to Ukrainians, he said: "We have seen Germany fight for the economy for decades.
"For new Russian gas pipelines and old European dreams. Dreams of some kind of co-operation that Russia has not taken seriously for a long time."
"We see that the views of the Germans are changing," he continued. "And this is very important. We see Germany looking for a new path."
Since the end of the Cold War, Germany has tried to use trade, business and energy links to integrate a peaceful Russia into the West.
But the invasion has ended those hopes, and triggered Germany to urgently look for trade opportunities in other regions.
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5. Posted at 21:07 17 Mar21:07 17 Mar
Northern Irishman: 'I just had to go and do something'
Emma Vardy
Ireland Correspondent
Andy ShawCopyright: Andy Shaw
A man from Northern Ireland says he's travelled to help defend Ukraine after the bombing of a children's hospital.
Andy Shaw, from Portstewart, says he was one of 10 people he knew of from the country who has travelled to fight in the conflict.
He registered with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, but says he was prepared to do "whatever is required", helping with first aid and transport.
"I just had to go and do something," the former Royal Air Force (RAF) man tells the BBC from near the Ukrainian border.
"There's a lot of people headed this way, some of my friends are already here.
"Some of those from Northern Ireland I worked with before in the air force, there's former medics, soldiers who've been on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. Same as me, they felt they couldn't just sit there and do nothing," he adds.
The veterans' presence in Ukraine comes despite the government issuing stark warnings against going to fight there.
Read more about the UK volunteers fighting in Ukraine here.
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6. Posted at 20:28 17 Mar20:28 17 Mar
What Biden and Xi will discuss in their Friday phone call
Sarah Smith
North America Editor
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Nesting dolls, pictured in Kyiv last monthImage caption: Nesting dolls, pictured in Kyiv last month
Biden says that he believes the war in Ukraine represents a genuine struggle between autocracy and democracy, and that Xi does not believe democracies can be sustained in the 21st Century.
That illustrates the ideological gulf between the two men who will discuss China's stance on Russia's invasion in a phone call on Friday.
So far, the US has said that China has a responsibility to "use its influence on President Putin to defend international rules and principles".
American officials think Xi is one of the few world leaders who might carry some influence with Vladimir Putin.
But he has so far refused to condemn Russia's aggression and America is very concerned that China might help Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine.
Biden will threaten to impose heavy costs on China if it does assist Russia either financially or militarily - though the White House will not detail publicly what those penalties might be.
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7. Posted at 20:11 17 Mar20:11 17 Mar
Russian troops lack 'basic essentials such as food and fuel' - UK
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier passes a destroyed armoured vehicle in KharkivImage caption: A Ukrainian soldier passes a destroyed armoured vehicle in Kharkiv
Russian forces are struggling to maintain their offensive in Ukraine, according to the latest intelligence assessment from the UK Ministry of Defence.
"Logistical problems continue to beset Russia's faltering invasion of Ukraine," the report says.
Soldiers have not been able to effectively resupply their forward troops with "basic essentials such as food and fuel," due to their limited mobility and lack of air superiority.
"Incessant Ukrainian counterattacks are forcing Russia to divert large numbers of troops to defend their own supply lines. This is severely limiting Russia's offensive potential."
The report echoes the US assessment earlier on Thursday, which said that Russia's troop are "frozen around the country".
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8. Posted at 19:56 17 Mar19:56 17 Mar
Putin lays out his demands in Turkish phone call
John Simpson
World Affairs Editor
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Turkey has positioned itself with great care to be the go-between with Russia and Ukraine - and this seems to be paying off.
On Thursday afternoon, President Vladimir Putin rang the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and told him what Russia's precise demands were for a peace deal with Ukraine.
Within half an hour of the ending of the phone call, I interviewed Erdogan's leading adviser and spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin. Kalin was part of the small group of officials who had listened in on the call.
The Russian demands fall into two categories.
Read more from Simpson's interview here
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9. Posted at 19:46 17 Mar19:46 17 Mar
Ukraine envoy calls for support from 'neutral' countries
Video content
Video caption: Neutrals 'should do everything possible to help stop this war'Neutrals 'should do everything possible to help stop this war'
Ukraine's ambassador to the US says countries that have not spoken out against the Russian invasion or have stayed neutral "should do everything possible to end this war".
Speaking to the BBC, Oksana Markarova lauded the "heroic defence" of Ukraine, adding: "The rockets are still falling on our heads."
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10. Posted at 19:35 17 Mar19:35 17 Mar
Bono's Ukraine-inspired St Patrick's Day poem
Irish rocker Bono marked St Patrick's Day with a poem for Ukraine, inspired by the famous legend of Saint Patrick, who drove the "snakes" out of Ireland.
The lines of verse were read out loud on Thursday by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Friends of Ireland congressional lunch.
"Whether we're in Ireland or wherever, Bono has been a very Irish part of our lives," Pelosi explained.
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11. Posted at 19:29 17 Mar19:29 17 Mar
China says sanctions will hurt developing countries
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Beijing's representative to the United Nations has said the use of sanctions against Russia during a sluggish global economic recovery is a mistake.
"Facts have proven that wanting use of sanctions will not solve any problem but will instead create new problems," Zhang Jun told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
Zhang warned the measures - which many Western countries continue to escalate - will exacerbate food and energy crises and damage livelihoods, particularly in developing countries.
He also reiterated to other UN member countries that China shares the international community's goal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
"We also hope that all parties will do more to facilitate peace talks and not to add fuel to the fire," Zhang said.
US officials say Russia has asked China for military and financial assistance and Beijing has expressed openness.
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12. Posted at 19:01 17 Mar19:01 17 Mar
US House paves way for higher Russia tariffs
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US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with House Speaker Nancy PelosiImage caption: US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
The US House of Representatives has voted to remove Russia and Belarus from the so-called "most favoured nation" trade agreement, which offers countries privileges such as lower tariffs on imported goods.
Stripping Russia of the status would clear the way for higher tariffs on key products it sells, including mineral fuels, fertilisers and metals.
The Democratic-controlled House - the lower chamber of Congress - voted 424 to 8 in favour of revoking the trade privileges of both countries in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Senate - the upper chamber - is expected to quickly approve the legislation.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said: "To date, both parties, Democrat and Republican, remain united in sending Putin a clear message: his inhumane violence against the Ukrainian people will come at a crippling price, and today's step by the House is another way we are making that come true."
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13. Posted at 18:48 17 Mar18:48 17 Mar
Ex-refugee donates maize crop to Ukraine
Felin Gakwaya
BBC News, Burundi
A NimpagaritseCopyright: A Nimpagaritse
Adrien Nimpagaritse grew up and went to school in a refugee camp in TanzaniaImage caption: Adrien Nimpagaritse grew up and went to school in a refugee camp in Tanzania
A subsistence farmer in Burundi, who used to be a refugee, is donating 100kg (220lb) of his maize crop to those fleeing violence in Ukraine.
“As a former refugee myself, I thought of offering some help. I am a peasant farmer, I don’t have much to give but I have a loving heart,” Adrien Nimpagaritse told the BBC.
“Looking at the pictures, I saw women and children dying. I don’t have a voice to contribute in bringing solution to the conflict, but I can donate some of what I have cultivated as a token of love.”
Nimpagaritse, 30, was a four-year-old orphan when he fled to Tanzania during a wave of ethnic violence in 1996.
He grew up in the Mutenderi refugee camp, where he attended school, only returning home to Burundi 11 years later in 2007, aged about 15.
“I saw what being a refugee is like - we could hardly find anything to eat,” he said.
“If somebody, a neighbour, offered you just a cassava leaf and water you’d greatly appreciate it.”
A NimpagaritseCopyright: A Nimpagaritse
He is now back in Burundi, where he has married and has three childrenImage caption: He is now back in Burundi, where he has married and has three children
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14. Posted at 18:43 17 Mar18:43 17 Mar
Standing ovation as refugee speaks of war agony
BBCCopyright: BBC
A Ukrainian mother who fled to the UK with her five-year-old daughter has described how part of her "dies in agony" every day as she watches horrors unfolding in her home country.
Anastaysia Manina sought refuge with her Ukrainian-born mother, who lives in Hull, north-east England, following the Russian invasion.
On Thursday she received a standing ovation as she made an emotional speech at a Hull City Council meeting.
She told councillors: "My heart is breaking every day."
Manina and her daughter left Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine on 24 February after waking up to the sounds of shelling as Russia launched its offensive.
She said: "Ukrainian people are extremely brave. They are well-educated, they fight furiously for their independence and they will proceed in fighting whatever it takes."
Read more here.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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15. Posted at 18:33 17 Mar18:33 17 Mar
Competing humanitarian resolutions at UN Security Council briefing
Nada Tawfik
BBC News, New York
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ukraine's UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya gestures during Thursday's UN Security Council briefingImage caption: Ukraine's UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya gestures during Thursday's UN Security Council briefing
Humanitarian briefings are always sobering but an important reminder of the magnitude of suffering in Ukraine.
According to UN officials, there have been 1,900 civilian casualties over the last three weeks of this war, with 726 people killed, 52 of them children. The WHO has verified 43 attacks on healthcare facilities as fighting escalates.
This latest meeting comes as Western nations and Russia have proposed competing humanitarian resolutions. Moscow's draft, among other things, calls for the protection of women and children and condemns indiscriminate shelling in Ukraine.
The move was denounced during the council meeting by western leaders, including the UK Ambassador to the UN Dame Barbara Woodward who called it "cynical game playing" by Russia, the aggressor, in "the face of human suffering". She pointed to their actions in Mariupol, targeting a theatre where more than 1,000 civilians were sheltering despite the word children written on the ground in Russian.
The US representative Linda Thomas Greenfield said Russia would be held accountable for its atrocities, telling President Putin, "stop the killings".
Western nations have used these briefings from top UN officials to authoritatively refute Russia’s disinformation. Once again, Moscow’s Ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia repeated numerous unsupported claims during the meeting, including that Ukraine was using its citizens as human shields.
The ambassador also accused the United States of pressuring nations not to support its draft, and announced Russia would no longer ask for a vote on its resolution. Diplomats do not believe Moscow would have received the nine votes necessary for passage.
France and Mexico have proposed their own humanitarian draft, which they plan to take right to the 193-member UN General Assembly for a vote.
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16. Posted at 18:22 17 Mar18:22 17 Mar
American citizen killed in Russian attack, US says
An American citizen has been killed in Ukraine following reports of a “heavy artillery attack” from Russian forces in Chernihiv, the State Department said.
“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine on March 17,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”
The man has been named as James Whitney Hill, who was killed by heavy artillery attacks on unarmed civilians in the city, the New York Times reports.
Hill travelled to Ukraine in December with his Ukrainian partner so she could be treated at a local hospital for multiple sclerosis.
In recent weeks Hill had been writing about the deteriorating situation.
"Each day people are killed trying to escape. But bombs falling here at night. Risk either way," he wrote on Facebook.
"I only have wifi a few hours a day. We have enough food for a few days."
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17. Posted at 18:09 17 Mar18:09 17 Mar
Who are the Azov battalion defending Mariupol?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
This file pic shows the Azov battalion's Wolfsangel insignia, which was used by the NazisImage caption: This file pic shows the Azov battalion's Wolfsangel insignia, which was used by the Nazis
For weeks the southern port city of Mariupol has resisted a Russian onslaught, defended by a nationalist battalion of some 800 volunteers.
The Azov battalion was formed to resist Russian-backed separatists who seized areas of eastern Ukraine in 2014. It takes its name from the internal Sea of Azov on which Mariupol lies.
To Ukrainians these defenders are heroes, holding out against Russia's far more numerous invaders and losing their lives in a bombardment that has killed over 2,000 of Mariupol's civilians and damaged up to 90% of its buildings.
To Russia they are neo-Nazis and their origins lie in a neo-Nazi group called Patriot of Ukraine. They wear the pagan Wolfsangel insignia, which was used by notorious Nazi SS units and is favoured by neo-Nazis. But the battalion says it represents merely the first letters of the slogan National Idea.
The Azov volunteers' original extremist leaders are now gone and the battalion is part of Ukraine's National Guard, under the government's formal oversight and command, say local officials.
Ukraine has cracked down on neo-Nazis in recent years and there are no nationalist parties in parliament.
The battalion currently attracts a broad mix of nationalists, ultranationalists and other young men united by a loathing for Russia. Half of them come from the east and many are Russian-speaking.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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18. Posted at 17:52 17 Mar17:52 17 Mar
Shells rain down on Kharkiv as Ukraine's army stands firm
Quentin Somerville
BBC News, Kharkiv, Ukraine
BBCCopyright: BBC
Moments after Russian Grad rockets - multiple rockets launched in quick succession - fell on a residential neighbourhoodImage caption: Moments after Russian Grad rockets - multiple rockets launched in quick succession - fell on a residential neighbourhood
We enter the house where the back door used to be. Now there is just a blanket flapping in the freezing wind. The owners, long gone, would have had a view across the rich farmland north of Kharkiv, but much of that is unrecognisable, too.
In the garage, beside an abandoned skateboard, are a dozen or so empty packing cases for some of the world's best anti-tank weapons. A dead Russian soldier lies face down in the front garden.
The house has become a frontline base, and the spent cases are an indication that the soldiers here have had the fight of their lives - a fight for Ukraine's independence.
We have gained rare access to the Ukrainian army, who after three weeks of hard fighting, are still holding firm on the outskirts of Kharkiv, preventing Russian forces from capturing Ukraine's second-largest city.
"Do you want to go further ahead?" asks Yuri, a commander with the Ukrainian army's 22 Motorized Infantry Battalion, pointing at the ruins of two Russian armoured personnel carriers, and the shattered pieces of two of their tanks. The battalion was reconstituted in 2014 after Russia invaded Crimea and backed Donbas separatists.
"They've used drones, aircraft, attack helicopters, everything," says Yuri, as Russian shells thunder overhead, striking nearby roads and apartment blocks.
Read Quentin Somerville's story in full
BBCCopyright: BBC
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19. Posted at 17:27 17 Mar17:27 17 Mar
The latest developments in Ukraine
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
The Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been subjected to constant shellingImage caption: The Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been subjected to constant shelling
If you're just joining us, or want a round-up, here are the latest developments in Ukraine.
• The situation on the ground is not changing dramatically, and Western officials have told journalists it's possible Ukraine could fight Russia to a standstill
• Further, the US defence department says the Russian advance has essentially stalled, with its troops "frozen around the country on multiple lines of axes"
• Meanwhile, the White House has said it has a "high concern" that China might supply President Putin with military equipment, and that Joe Biden will raise the issue directly in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping
• Germany has warned it is facing a "big, big challenge" due to the number of Ukrainians seeking refuge in the country
• Authorities in the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under constant shelling by Russian forces, say around 30,000 people have left so far
• And civilians have reportedly been emerging alive from the ruins of a theatre in Mariupol that, according to Ukrainian authorities, was bombed by Russia
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20. Posted at 17:14 17 Mar17:14 17 Mar
Freed ex-mayor of Melitopol shares details of Russian detainment
Reuters/HandoutCopyright: Reuters/Handout
This CCTV footage allegedly shows the mayor being marched away by Russian forces six days agoImage caption: This CCTV footage allegedly shows the mayor being marched away by Russian forces six days ago
The former mayor of Melitopol - now under Russian control - has been speaking out about his alleged kidnapping and detention by Russian forces.
Ivan Federov led the south-eastern city until it fell to invading Russian forces early on and he was kidnapped six days ago.
He was freed on Wednesday after Ukraine said it had agreed to exchange nine captured Russian soldiers to get him back.
Speaking to the BBC's Audrey Brown, Federov said Russian troops took him from his office without a word and he had no connection with the outside world while in their custody.
He said he was kept in a small room with armed soldiers but was never physically harmed.
Occupying forces in Melitopol have replaced Federov with their own mayor.
But the ex-mayor insists his successor is not the rightful head of the local government, as he was voted in by more than 60% of people.
1. 16:55 17 Mar
Italy ready to rebuild Mariupol theatre, says culture minister
Italy is ready to rebuild a theatre in Mariupol which was destroyed by a bomb attack, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the theatre was bombed by Russia as many were sheltering in the building.
"The cabinet ... has approved my proposal to offer Ukraine the resources and means to rebuild it as soon as possible. Theatres of all countries belong to the whole (of) humanity," Franceschini wrote on Twitter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted his thanks.
"You set a good example to follow. Together we will rebuild the country to the last brick," he said.
Read more on the theatre attack here.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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2. Posted at 16:30 17 Mar16:30 17 Mar
Pentagon says Russian advance is frozen
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Smoke rises after an explosion in Kyiv on ThursdayImage caption: Smoke rises after an explosion in Kyiv on Thursday
The US Defence Department says that the Russian advance into Ukraine has essentially stalled.
"They clearly were not prepared for them to be in the position they are three weeks in – basically frozen around the country on multiple lines of axes, struggling to fuel themselves and to feed their troops and to supply them with arms and ammunition and meeting a very determined Ukrainian resistance," a senior official said on Thursday.
Russian forces have had one recent success: capturing the beleaguered eastern town of Izyum.
But the Pentagon believes that morale is low in some Russian units, hampered by poor leadership and a lack of information.
According to the official, invading forces have discussed resupply and resourcing issues - a sign they are concerned about longevity - but have not brought in any new troops or resources yet.
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3. Posted at 16:17 17 Mar16:17 17 Mar
You're a TikTok star, Zelensky told during hospital visit
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Visiting an injured 16-year-old girl at a hospital in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv today, President Volodymyr Zelensky learned that he had become a TikTok star.
"Everybody supports you on TikTok," Katya Vlasenko, whose family's vehicle was shot at as they fled Russian forces, told him.
The 44-year-old president had just handed her a large bunch of flowers and said: "It is not easy, but we do the right thing."
After hearing about his popularity on the video-sharing platform, he asked: "So we have occupied TikTok?"
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4. Posted at 15:59 17 Mar15:59 17 Mar
WHO urges immediate ceasefire in Ukraine
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The head of the World Health Organization is pleading with the United Nations Security Council to work toward an urgent ceasefire in Ukraine.
"As if Covid is not enough, to have a devastating war like this is dangerous for the world," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the 15-member body on Thursday.
The WHO has now verified 43 attacks on health care inside the war-torn country, with at least 12 people - including health workers - killed and 34 injured.
"In any conflict, attacks on health-care are a violation of international humanitarian law," Dr Tedros said.
"They deprive people of urgently-needed care and break already-strained health systems."
He said the attacks had already led to a severe disruption to health services and access to basic commodities in Ukraine, warning its consequences "will reverberate for years or decades to come".
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5. Posted at 15:45 17 Mar15:45 17 Mar
Czech PM says country must take steps to cope with refugee numbers
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Around 270,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in the Czech Republic since the Russian invasion last month.
The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, said: "We must admit to ourselves that we are at the very limit of what we are capable of absorbing without any major problems.
"We must continue in the steps that will allow us to cope with more high numbers because no-one knows how long the situation in Ukraine will continue being as bad as it is now, and how long people will have to flee in order to save their lives and the lives of their children."
The Czech government plans to issue long-term residence permits to refugees already in the country.
This post was amended at 21:39. The BBC has listened back to Petr Fiala's comments (in Czech) at today’s press conference, and updated the quotes and headline to more accurately reflect his comments.
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6. Posted at 15:38 17 Mar15:38 17 Mar
Biden to raise issue of weapons supply in call with Xi
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met in Beijing last monthImage caption: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met in Beijing last month
The US has "high concern" that China might supply Russia with military equipment that could be used by President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine, the White House says.
Press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at the latest briefing in Washington that China's failure to denounce Russia's actions "speaks volumes".
She said President Joe Biden would raise the subject with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a phone call scheduled for Friday.
On Monday, the US warned allies that China had suggested it was open to a move to provide military and economic support to Russia, media reports said.
The Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of spreading disinformation and Russia denied asking Beijing for military help.
• Read more: What military support could China offer Russia?
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7. Posted at 15:28 17 Mar15:28 17 Mar
Watch: Life on Ukraine's frontline
Video content
Video caption: Ukraine: The troops holding the front line as Russia pounds KharkivUkraine: The troops holding the front line as Russia pounds Kharkiv
BBC correspondent Quentin Sommerville and cameraman Darren Conway are on the frontline with the Ukrainian military in the eastern city of Kharkiv, where our correspondent says Russia is creating a wasteland.
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8. Posted at 15:14 17 Mar15:14 17 Mar
Couple return from holiday to find son fighting in Ukraine
BBCCopyright: BBC
Adam Ennis is embedded with a platoon of 50 men from all over the world, defending the streets of KyivImage caption: Adam Ennis is embedded with a platoon of 50 men from all over the world, defending the streets of Kyiv
A Scottish man has spoken of his shock after he returned from holiday to find his son had travelled to Kyiv to fight with the Ukrainian army.
Adam Ennis, 35, is now embedded with a platoon of 50 men from all over the world, defending the streets of the Ukrainian capital.
His parents had been on a three-month trip to visit their daughter, who lives in Thailand.
Adam's father, Brian, told BBC Scotland it was a shock to find out what his son had done.
"Adam was due to pick us up at the airport. But his friend picked us up instead. His friend wasn't going to say anything until Adam spoke to us.
"So we weren't aware until he phoned us that evening. He was already in Ukraine at a camp."
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9. Analysis
Posted at 15:01 17 Mar15:01 17 Mar
Are the outlines of a peace agreement emerging?
John Simpson
World Affairs Editor
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin (file photo)Image caption: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin (file photo)
President Vladimir Putin's demands are concise, and following a phone call between the Russian leader and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, four of them are fairly easy to reach agreement on, Erdogan's chief adviser Ibrahim Kalin told me.
They include an acceptance by Ukraine that it should be neutral in future, and shouldn’t become a member of the western military alliance, Nato. Ukraine's President Zelensky said as much the other day.
Other demands Putin is making include a "denazification clause", which - though offensive to Zelensky - seems easy enough to accept, according to the Turkish side, and undertakings to protect the Russian language.
That's where the easy part ends.
Putin is also demanding parts of eastern Ukraine, and acceptance from Zelensky that Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014, is now a permanent part of Russia.
This, Putin said, can only be sorted out face-to-face with his Ukrainian opponent, who has already said he's willing to talk.
But the Turkish side thinks it could be weeks before there's any agreement.
I asked Ibrahim Kalin, who listened in to the call, how Putin had sounded; was he excitable, or maybe threatening? No, said the Turkish president's adviser - he had been normal and precise.
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10. Posted at 14:47 17 Mar14:47 17 Mar
Blinken accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine
ReuCopyright: Reu
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he agrees with President Joe Biden that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine.
He adds that US experts are in the process of documenting and evaluating potential war crimes in the country.
He says he finds it "difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise" after the destruction over the past few weeks.
Blinken adds that he has not seen any meaningful efforts by Russia to bring the war to a conclusion through diplomacy.
• What is a war crime and could Putin be prosecuted over Ukraine?
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11. Posted at 14:34 17 Mar14:34 17 Mar
Charity worker tells of Mariupol 'hell and horror'
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
A charity worker who managed to escape Mariupol yesterday has been describing the "hell" and "horror" of the besieged port city.
The Halo Trust de-miner was working to disarm explosives before he was forced to flee.
He says elderly residents are dying in their homes, with nobody able to reach them because of constant shelling.
"From the news and other videos we can only understand part of what is happening on the ground. We went through hell.
"I can't remember a day or even a couple of hours when they weren’t shelling or conducting air strikes.
"I saw many people I knew die."
He says the city is unrecognisable, with high-rise buildings destroyed, others on fire, and huge craters in the roads from aerial bombardments.
There is no electricity, heating or water, and even the well was hit, he says.
"I can't find the words to describe the horror, the atmosphere, the darkness that reigned over the city of Mariupol - or, to be more precise, the ruins that are left of the city."
.Copyright: .
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12. Posted at 14:21 17 Mar14:21 17 Mar
Ukrainians seeking refuge pose 'big challenge' to Germany
EPACopyright: EPA
Ukrainian refugees arrive at Berlin central stationImage caption: Ukrainian refugees arrive at Berlin central station
Germany is facing a "big, big challenge" due to the number of Ukrainians seeking refuge in the country, Chancellor Olaf Scholz says.
In talks with the leaders of Germany's 16 federal states, he said, however, that in many ways it helps that Ukrainians don't require visas to enter Germany, and that they have access to healthcare and education - including language and integration courses.
Earlier, Germany's interior ministry said 187,428 refugees from Ukraine had arrived in the country as of Thursday, according to police.
"Most of them are women, children and elderly people," the ministry added in a tweet.
Trains arriving from the east at Berlin's central railway station carry thousands of Ukrainians every day - men, women and children fleeing Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.
Despite the numbers of people fleeing war, many are finding families waiting to offer them shelter.
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13. Posted at 13:48 17 Mar13:48 17 Mar
'This isn't a childhood'
AERIAL RECOVERY GROUPCopyright: AERIAL RECOVERY GROUP
Children in Ukraine are being denied their childhoods, says a representative from the UN children's agency Unicef.
Joe English, who is in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, tells the BBC that Unicef has verified the deaths of 50 children since Russia invaded.
"It's likely that the true toll is far higher," he says.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities said at least 107 children had been killed.
With children playing in a park nearby him in Lviv, English says it feels as though "this could be any scene in Europe or elsewhere in the world".
"But just further over to the right there's a bomb shelter, and when we have sirens here these kids know what to do. They know that it's time to drop everything and get into these shelters," he says.
"This isn't a childhood. We need to be providing these kids with peace and an opportunity to start rebuilding their lives."
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14. Posted at 13:27 17 Mar13:27 17 Mar
Russia having to adjust to grinding warfare - western officials
Paul Adams
BBC diplomatic correspondent
The situation on the ground in Ukraine is not changing dramatically, Western officials have told journalists - and it is possible that Ukraine could fight Russia to a standstill.
“We’re continuing to see that Russian forces are making little bits of progress here and there but they’re not achieving a strategic breakthrough at any point,” an official said during a briefing.
“Not only is it not going the way it was planned, but even as they have adjusted to a rather more grinding form of warfare, that is stalling as well.”
The officials said one estimate that 7,000 Russian troops had been killed was "not in any sense an implausible" one.
The question now, they said, was whether Mr Putin decides to “double down with greater brutality.”
They also said:
• Russian aircraft were having to move with "considerable caution" to avoid Ukrainian air defences.
• Russia's attempt to bring in more forces was “clearly not part of the original plan and… demonstrates the extent to which Russia has got bogged down.”
• Morale among Russian troops was extremely low.
Asked whether Russia might have to change its war aims in the face of current losses, officials said it was very hard to tell.
However, one said: “I don’t have the impression at the moment that Russia is close to a point at which it could not prosecute its war aims.”
The officials pointed out that Ukraine is suffering losses too, and that it is not clear "how long they can hold out".
On peace talks, officials said both sides were taking them seriously, but the gaps between them were still large and they couldn’t say if they would bear fruit.
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15. Posted at 13:07 17 Mar13:07 17 Mar
Bus carrying fleeing refugees overturns in Lithuania - reports
We're hearing reports that a bus carrying 53 women and children fleeing the conflict has overturned near the town of Pasvalys in Lithuania.
The coach was driving from the Polish-Ukraine border to Finland when the driver lost control around 06:00 local time (08:00 GMT), according to Lithuanian national TV channel LRT.
It said at least 10 people, including children, were injured. They were taken to nearby hospitals.
The remaining passengers were taken to the Salociai cultural centre.
One of the passengers told the TV channel: "We haven't slept for three days, perhaps all the 18 days during which we are being bombarded.
"Just as I fell asleep and the bus overturned, my daughter started screaming, and we started looking for my granddaughter. She fell out of her seat and ended up near the driver. Thank God she wasn‘t injured."
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16. Posted at 12:49 17 Mar12:49 17 Mar
'Imposter claiming to be Ukraine PM tried to talk to UK minister'
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says an "imposter" claiming to be Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal tried to contact him.
"He posed several misleading questions and after becoming suspicious I terminated the call," Wallace wrote on Twitter, without providing further details.
In a follow-up tweet, he described the incident as "desperate".
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17. Posted at 12:24 17 Mar12:24 17 Mar
Some 30,000 people reported to have fled Mariupol
Authorities in Mariupol say around 30,000 people have left the city so far, according to Reuters.
The local council estimates that more than 350,000 people are still sheltering in the city.
The port city is encircled by Russian forces and has seen some of the fiercest bombardment of the conflict.
Reuters reports long queues of cars heading north from Mariupol, some with signs in the windscreens with the word "children" written in Russian.
Ukrainian officials say residents have been trapped in the city by Russian shelling without heating, electricity and running water for most of the past two weeks.
The city's council adds that work is ongoing to establish the number of possible casualties from the strike on the Mariupol theatre where more than 1,000 people - mainly women and children - were hiding in a bomb shelter.
There are more details about that bombing in eastern Ukraine here.
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18. Posted at 12:02 17 Mar12:02 17 Mar
Schwarzenegger tells Russian people: 'You are not being told the truth'
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Arnold Schwarzenegger has posted a video message to Twitter urging Russians to push back against the pro-war narrative being presented by the Russian government.
In a clip which runs for over nine minutes - which has been viewed over a million times in little more than two hours - Schwarzenegger speaks of his love for Russia and recalls trips to the country during his career as a bodybuilder.
The film star and former California governor tells Russians that they are "not being told the truth about the consequences of this war" and informs them that "bombs are raining down on innocent civilians".
Listing a host of Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities, Schwarzenegger tells Russians that as a result of the humanitarian crisis Vladimir Putin's invasion has unleashed "Russia is now isolated from the society of nations".
He adds that "thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed" after being caught between Ukrainian forces "fighting for their homeland and the Russian leadership fighting for conquest".
The Terminator star concludes by heaping praise on the thousands of Russia protesters detained by police in recent weeks, telling them "the world has seen your bravery", adding "you are my heroes".
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19. Posted at 11:51 17 Mar11:51 17 Mar
Up to 90% of Mariupol destroyed, officials say
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
The destroyed theatre in MariupolImage caption: The destroyed theatre in Mariupol
Authorities in the besieged eastern city of Mariupol have said that up to 90% of buildings in the city have been destroyed by Russian forces in their daily bombardment of the city.
Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, wrote on Twitter that the city is being "destroyed from the sky" and repeated President Volodymyr Zelensky's call on Western nations to impose a no-fly zone over the country.
The report comes amid reports that rescue teams in the city are trying to bring out survivors of an attack on a theatre, where about 1,000 people - mainly women and children - were hiding in a bomb shelter.
The rescue attempt is ongoing amid heavy shelling from Russian forces on the periphery of the city.
Read more here about the situation at that bombed theatre.
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20. Posted at 11:36 17 Mar11:36 17 Mar
US president and Irish PM discuss Ukraine, virtually
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Last year's 17 March meeting between US President Joe Biden and Taoiseach Micheál Martin was also virtualImage caption: Last year's 17 March meeting between US President Joe Biden and Taoiseach Micheál Martin was also virtual
US President Joe Biden and the Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin are discussing the war in Ukraine in virtual talks held in Washington DC.
The pair had been due to meet face-to-face, but Martin tested positive for Covid-19 while visiting the US capital.
Earlier, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: "They will discuss their countries' contributions to the international effort to support the people of Ukraine and to impose costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified war."
Other issues on the agenda include the global pandemic and the US-Ireland relationship.
The taoiseach was due to meet Biden and then to take part in the traditional shamrock handover ceremony in the Oval Office as part of St Patrick's Day celebrations.
He was also due to attend a breakfast hosted by Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Broadcaster RTÉ has reported that the taoiseach is self-isolating and is described as feeling well
1. 11:29 17 Mar
European Space Agency suspends joint Russia Mars project
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A working prototype of the ExoMars rover at a centre in Stevenage, EnglandImage caption: A working prototype of the ExoMars rover at a centre in Stevenage, England
The European Space Agency (Esa) has suspended a Mars programme it was working on in conjunction with Russian space agency Roscosmos.
In a statement posted on its website, Esa said it would be impossible to continue co-operating with Roscosmos on its ExoMars rover mission, which aims to carry out further research on the surface of Mars.
It said Esa's ruling council had made the decision unanimously in response to the situation in Ukraine.
"We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine," the statement reads. "While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, Esa is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its member states."
The British-built Rosalind Franklin Mars rover was due to launch on a Russian rocket in September and land eight months later using Russian hardware.
Last month, Esa said "sanctions and the wider context" on Russia's invasion of Ukraine had put a big question mark next to the mission.
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2. Posted at 11:20 17 Mar11:20 17 Mar
UK charity appeal raises £200m for Ukrainians fleeing war
Some £200 million has been raised to help Ukrainians fleeing the conflict, the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) says.
That total includes £25 million matched by the UK government, it says.
Donations to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal help DEC charities and its partners in Europe.
Sue Inglish, DEC Chair of Trustees, says the response has been "absolutely phenomenal".
"This amazing total shows what's possible when we all come together as charities, as communities, as a country, to help people who are facing unimaginable hardships," she adds.
The appeal raised £55m in a day when it launched this month.
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3. Posted at 11:12 17 Mar11:12 17 Mar
Beginning of last chapter of Putin's Russia - Akunin
Jessy Kaner
BBC News Russian
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Boris Akunin left Russia after it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014Image caption: Boris Akunin left Russia after it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014
Bestselling Russian crime writer Boris Akunin has predicted the invasion of Ukraine is the endgame for Putin and that Russians must come together to present another, better Russia to the world and do everything they can to help Ukrainian refugees.
Along with dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov and economist Sergei Guriev, he has launched an initiative to raise money for Ukrainian refugees called TrueRussia.org.
Boris Akunin, whose real name is Grigory Ckhartishvili, is the author of the popular Fandorin detective novels and has lived in the UK since 2014. Mikhail Baryshnikov defected from the Soviet Union to Canada in 1974 and Sergei Guriev is a Paris economics professor who fled Russia in 2013.
Akunin told the BBC that Ukrainian TV stations were calling him every day to appear on their programmes.
"But now I must talk to Russians. Maybe we can't stop the war, but we can help in the humanitarian crisis, and we must unite and do everything we can to get rid of Putin, so we can rebuild a normal Russia.”
Akunin said all Russians who made good after the fall of the Soviet Union shared responsibility for the current regime and should now deal with the new reality.
“I have the feeling I’m living in a dystopian novel and for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I’m afraid there’s a real threat of nuclear war.”
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4. Posted at 11:00 17 Mar11:00 17 Mar
Ukrainian journalists to get helmets and vests from Unesco
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Ukrainian journalists are to be given personal protective equipment and training for working in hostile environments by Unesco, the UN agency has said.
Unesco said it would provide an initial batch of 125 sets of bullet-proof vests and helmets to help displaced Ukrainian journalists continue their work and support the free flow of information during war.
It said thousands of journalists were reporting from the ground in Ukraine, many without the necessary protective equipment or training, having been thrust into the role of war correspondent.
The equipment will be distributed from next week by Reporters Without Borders, via its Press Freedom Centre in Lviv, and the International Federation of Journalists, Unesco said.
Audrey Azoulay, director-general of Unesco, said: “Every day, journalists and media workers are risking their lives in Ukraine to provide life-saving information to local populations and inform the world of the reality of this war.
"We are determined to support and protect them in every way possible."
The war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of some journalists. You can read about some of those fatalities here.
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5. Posted at 10:51 17 Mar10:51 17 Mar
Zelensky calls on Germany to tear down Russian wall
Damien McGuinness
BBC News, Berlin
EPACopyright: EPA
Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual address to German MPs today was once again tailored to appeal to his audience with well-chosen historical parallels, as he described a new type of Berlin Wall being built - dividing Europe between freedom and oppression.
His emotive speech to the German parliament, the Bundestag, was heard by some who would have grown up in communist East Germany behind the Berlin Wall.
During the Cold War, Germany's dogged negotiation and engagement with Moscow contributed to the fall of the wall and German reunification.
Since then, Germany has tried to use trade, business and energy links to integrate a peaceful Russia into the West.
But President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago has destroyed many of those aspirations.
Zelensky expressed outrage that some German businesses were still operating in Russia. The controversial - now cancelled - Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 was "cement for that new wall" dividing Europe, he said.
Germany's continued reluctance to allow Ukraine into the European Union was "another brick" in that new wall.
• Read more from Damien here
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6. Posted at 10:38 17 Mar10:38 17 Mar
'Recognise Putin as war criminal' - Ukraine defence minister
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Oleksiy Reznikov criticised the West's refusal to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine (file photo)Image caption: Oleksiy Reznikov criticised the West's refusal to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine (file photo)
We reported earlier about comments made by US President Joe Biden in which he labelled his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal".
Now, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has urged European leaders to do the same.
"I am appealing to all members of the European Parliament to recognise that Putin is a war criminal, as it has been done in the United States," he told a committee in Brussels via video link.
"It's not simply a war. It's state terror," he said.
His comments come after UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also said there was "very, very strong evidence" that Putin was a "war criminal".
Experts have warned, however, that such language is likely to escalate diplomatic tensions even further.
Reznikov also repeated calls by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky for a no-fly zone to be implemented to protect his country from air strikes and shelling.
"The longer you hesitate, the more it will be perceived by our children and grandchildren as your complicity in this crime," he said. "So please, make this decision because your electorate will reflect upon your actions."
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7. Posted at 10:28 17 Mar10:28 17 Mar
Russia extends US basketball star's detention
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
We're hearing that US basketball star Brittney Griner's detention in Russia has been extended for another two months, according to Reuters news agency.
It says Russian news agency TASS has reported that the Khimkinsky court of the Moscow region ruled that Griner should remain in prison until 19 May.
The 31-year-old, a centre for the Phoenix Mercury, is believed to have been arrested by Russian authorities on drug charges a month ago after arriving on a flight from the US.
According to Reuters, TASS reported: "The court granted the petition of the investigation and extended the term of US citizen Griner's detention until 19 May."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that American officials are "doing everything we can" to help her.
Earlier, former US first lady Hillary Clinton joined calls for Griner to be released, tweeting "Free Britney" and a link to a BBC article about her detention.
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8. Posted at 10:16 17 Mar10:16 17 Mar
Turkey 'happy to host' any Zelensky and Putin meeting
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin could yet meet if the conditions to resolve the conflict are within reach.
Speaking alongside Çavuşoğlu at a joint news conference in the western city of Lviv, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that they had agreed to focus their efforts on setting up a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
"There is a possibility that the two leaders will meet if there is a ground for an agreement on the issues that we see as rapprochement,” Çavuşoğlu said. "We said yesterday that we would be happy to host."
"It is necessary to prepare the groundwork for a meeting at the level of leaders as soon as possible. We have already announced that we are ready to act as housekeeper for this," he added.
Kuleba told Çavuşoğlu that he hoped Turkey would be "among the countries" that could serve as a guarantor of any peace deal between the states.
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9. Posted at 10:07 17 Mar10:07 17 Mar
Watch: 'Interrogators didn't believe TV protest was my idea'
Video content
Video caption: Marina Ovsyannikova: Interrogators did not believe TV protest was my ideaMarina Ovsyannikova: Interrogators did not believe TV protest was my idea
Russian TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who interrupted a live Russian news broadcast holding an anti-war sign, said her interrogators could not believe her decision to protest about the war in Ukraine was her own decision.
Speaking to the BBC's Caroline Davies, Ovsyannikova explained that she needed to break free from being a "cog in the Russian propaganda machine," and urged other Russians to resist "Kremlin propaganda."
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10. Posted at 9:58 17 Mar9:58 17 Mar
'We knew something terrible would happen to the theatre'
By Hugo Bachega & Orysia Khimiak, BBC News, Lviv
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
The Russian word for "children" had been written in front of and behind the theatre to warn Russia not to attack itImage caption: The Russian word for "children" had been written in front of and behind the theatre to warn Russia not to attack it
Survivors are said to be emerging from the ruins of a theatre bombed by Russia in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Despite pictures of devastation at the scene, many civilians who were sheltering there are thought to have survived in a basement that withstood Wednesday's attack.
For 10 days, that basement was a refuge for Kate, a 38-year-old Mariupol native, and her 17-year-old son.
Their own home, like many others in the besieged city, had been destroyed by Russian attacks, and they thought the Donetsk Regional Theatre of Drama was a place where they would be relatively safe.
Mother and son squeezed into the building's dark rooms, corridors and halls with dozens of other families. Some women, Kate said, carried babies that were just four or five months old.
Kate, who used to work at the city's zoo shop and did not want to give her full name, said: "In the beginning, it was really tough, because we didn't have a well-organised food supply.
"So on the first two days, adults didn't have any food. We gave it only to the children."
Read more.
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11. Posted at 9:52 17 Mar9:52 17 Mar
Belgium's royals to host Ukrainian refugees
Bruno Boelpaep
BBC News, Brussels
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
King Philippe (centre) is said to have had been moved by the testimonies he heard when meeting with Ukrainian refugeesImage caption: King Philippe (centre) is said to have had been moved by the testimonies he heard when meeting with Ukrainian refugees
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have decided to host Ukrainian refugees.
The Belgian Royal Palace has confirmed to the BBC that two houses owned by Belgium’s Royal Trust will be made available for three Ukrainian families.
One of the houses is located in Brussels and the other is in the southern region of Wallonia.
A spokesman for the Royal Palace told the BBC that King Philippe had been moved by the testimonies he heard when meeting with Ukrainians, mostly women and children, while visiting a registration centre in Brussels on Wednesday.
The decision to host was announced shortly after the visit.
This is not the first time Belgium’s royal family has shown solidarity with those in need.
Last summer, people who lost their homes in the country’s worst floods in decades were also invited to stay in houses owned by the Royal Trust.
Another building located just outside Brussels will also be made available to serve as collective housing if more space is required.
So far more than 10,000 Ukrainians refugees have registered in Belgium and have been given temporary international protection and a status that allows them to live and work in Belgium for one year.
Belgian authorities estimate 200,000 Ukrainians will arrive in Belgium in the coming weeks.
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12. Posted at 9:42 17 Mar9:42 17 Mar
53 civilians killed in Chernihiv on Wednesday - governor
STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / HANDOUTCopyright: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / HANDOUT
Chernihiv has for days suffered intense shellingImage caption: Chernihiv has for days suffered intense shelling
As many as 53 civilians have reportedly been killed by Russian forces in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv since Wednesday, according to its regional governor, Vyacheslav Chaus.
"The enemy continues systemic artillery and air strikes on the regional centre. They are destroying civilian infrastructure," he reported on the messaging service Telegram.
"We are suffering huge losses. Fifty-three bodies of our citizens were delivered to the city morgues over the past day alone."
Chaus said local authorities were working to restore power, water and gas supplies to parts of the city despite continued shelling.
The governor also announced another round of talks with Russian troops in order to organise a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the city.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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13. Posted at 9:31 17 Mar9:31 17 Mar
Tracking the Russian invasion
Russian advances across Ukraine have slowed in recent days amid mounting casualties, but attempts to encircle and cut off the capital Kyiv continue.
.Copyright: .
Russian forces are attempting to encircle and cut off the capital, but large areas around the city remain under Ukrainian control, especially in the south.
Ukrainian generals in the city say they are focused on keeping Russian artillery out of range of the city centre
.Copyright: .
Russian forces have made rapid gains across the south of the country, pushing east and west from Crimea.
In the south east, civilians remain trapped in Mariupol, a port city of about half a million people, which is encircled by Russian forces and has come under heavy fire.
.Copyright: .
Fighting continues in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where Russian-backed separatists held significant territory before the Russian invasion.
In the north east, Russian troops have almost surrounded the city of Sumy, bombed vital infrastructure and cut off supply routes.
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14. Posted at 9:23 17 Mar9:23 17 Mar
What is a war criminal?
Dominic Casciani
Legal Correspondent
Sergei OrlovCopyright: Sergei Orlov
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of bombing a theatre where civilians were sheltering in the besieged city of MariupolImage caption: Ukraine has accused Russian forces of bombing a theatre where civilians were sheltering in the besieged city of Mariupol
US President Joe Biden has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" when discussing the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have both previously accused Russia of carrying out war crimes.
It may not seem like it, but "even war has rules", as the International Committee of the Red Cross puts it.
These are contained in treaties called the Geneva Conventions and a string of other international laws and agreements.
Among the rules of war are that civilians cannot be deliberately attacked - nor can the infrastructure that is vital to their survival.
Some weapons are banned because of the indiscriminate or appalling suffering they cause - such as anti-personnel landmines and chemical or biological weapons.
Read more here.
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15. Posted at 9:14 17 Mar9:14 17 Mar
Russia accused of shelling cultural centre near Kharkiv
SES of UkraineCopyright: SES of Ukraine
The mayor of the eastern city of Merefa has accused Russian troops of shelling a residential area in the city, destroying a school, cultural centre and several private properties.
Veniamin Sitov told local media that the strike occurred around 03:30 local time (01:30 GMT) and said that there were no civilian casualties, but claimed several soldiers had been killed.
"The centre of the culture house was hit, there was nothing left of it," Sitov said.
"There were people in it. Thank God there are no casualties among civilians, there are among the military. Civilians managed to run out of the destruction, the military were sent to the hospital. The fire at the school continues to be extinguished," he added.
Merefa sits just outside Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv, which has faced almost daily bombardment from Russian forces since the conflict began.
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16. Posted at 9:06 17 Mar9:06 17 Mar
UK troops to be deployed to Poland for three to six months
We have some more detail now on news that the UK will deploy its Sabre anti-air missile system to Nato ally Poland, along with 100 troops.
The troops are to be sent on a short deployment of three to six months.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the Sabre missile system was being sent to protect Polish airspace and was purely for defensive purposes.
The US and Germany have already sent air defence systems to Nato's eastern flank.
The BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said it was part of a heightened military stance to defend allies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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17. Posted at 8:58 17 Mar8:58 17 Mar
Zelensky gives German MPs a painful reminder of history
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Germany ministers joined MPs in a standing ovation for the Ukrainian leaderImage caption: Germany ministers joined MPs in a standing ovation for the Ukrainian leader
Ukraine's president was given a standing ovation for his 10-minute address to Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, even though he delivered some sharp words to his audience.
Appealing to MPs to help stop Russia's war, he drew on Germany's own experience, both from World War Two and the fall of Communism.
He spoke of the 108 children killed since the invasion began and said every year politicians remembered the Holocaust and said "never again - and now we see those words are worthless".
Ukraine had repeatedly turned to Germany before the war to limit economic ties with Russia, he reminded MPs, but instead Berlin had helped Russia erect a wall "between freedom and bondage". "Tear down this wall," he said.
After he finished, the Bundestag moved swiftly on to a debate about compulsory Covid vaccinations. One opposition MP, Sepp Müller, complained that bombs were falling on theatres where children were sheltering and, instead of having a proper debate, the government was going back to "business as usual".
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18. Posted at 8:40 17 Mar8:40 17 Mar
The latest developments
Here's what you need to know if you're catching up this lunchtime:
• Ukraine has accused Russian forces of bombing a theatre where civilians were sheltering in the besieged southern city of Mariupol.
• Authorities in Ukraine also say at least 107 children have been killed since the start of the invasion
• Some 1.95 million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began, the Polish Border Guard agency said.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Germany for its assistance during an address in Berlin, but told lawmakers their support "came too late to stop war".
• The Kremlin has said Russia's negotiators are putting colossal energy into talks to reach a potential peace deal with Ukraine.
• The Russian state TV journalist who staged an anti-war protest during a live bulletin has told the BBC she "could not remain on the sidelines".
• The UK is to deploy the Sky Sabre missile system in Poland, along with 100 troops, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said.
• And Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the BBC there is "very, very strong evidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "war criminal", after comments made by US President Joe Biden.
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19. Posted at 8:28 17 Mar8:28 17 Mar
Ukraine war could hit global growth, OECD warns
GettyCopyright: Getty
The war in Ukraine could cut global economic growth by more than one percentage point in the first year after the invasion, according to a new report.
The Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) says the impact could also cause a "deep recession" in Russia if it is sustained.
Although Russia and Ukraine only make up a small percentage of the global economy, they are huge producers of raw materials.
The OECD also warns that the conflict could push up prices globally by about 2.5%.
Costs were already going up due to increased demand as Covid restrictions ease.
It comes as the Bank of England raises UK interest rates to 0.75%, citing concerns the war in Ukraine will push prices up further.
Read our global trade correspondent Dharshini David's full analysis here.
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20. Posted at 8:14 17 Mar8:14 17 Mar
'Stop listening to the Kremlin channels'
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
More from Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who says she hoped her televised protest - in which she held a handwritten sign saying "no war" - would encourage people to question local media reports.
"To the Russians, I wanted to show you are zombified by this Kremlin propaganda, stop believing it. Stop listening to the Kremlin channels," she tells the BBC.
"Learn to look for information, analyse it. Western sources, Ukrainian sources, I understand it’s very hard in the conditions of an information war to find alternative information, but you need to try to look for it."
Ovsyannikova, an editor at Russia's state-controlled Channel One broadcaster, was detained and questioned for 14 hours following her stunt on Monday.
She adds that conspiracy theories were "building up about me", which she claims were "set up by the FSB [Russian secret service]".
We'll bring you video of Ovsyannikova's interview with our Moscow correspondent Caroline Davies later.
1. Posted at 8:02 17 Mar8:02 17 Mar
BREAKING'Not all Russians are like this' - TV anti-war journalist
The Russian state TV journalist who staged an anti-war protest during a live bulletin tells the BBC she "could not remain on the sidelines".
"I really wanted to show the western audience that Russians are against war. Not all Russians are like this," Marina Ovsyannikova says.
Ovsyannikova, who was fined 30,000 roubles (£213) under Russia's protest laws, said she knew she would be arrested.
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2. Posted at 8:01 17 Mar8:01 17 Mar
'My parents are in Mariupol - I pray they are safe'
Oksana TuraCopyright: Oksana Tura
Oksana pictured with her dad in 2019Image caption: Oksana pictured with her dad in 2019
The last time UK-based Oksana Tura spoke to her parents in Mariupol was 1 March when she tried to persuade them to leave and go somewhere safe. She hasn't been able to contact them since.
"I don’t know how they would get out, the bridges have been blown up, they have one vehicle but mum has had a stroke and she’s not agile or able to run.
"I pray they are safe but I feel helpless."
The West Midlands teaching assistant said: "It’s a tragedy, the city seems to have been left to its own devices, no-one is giving us the true picture of what is happening there.
"If people are running, screaming in terror around them, where would they go?
"But I have to believe they are in good hands, that people are looking after them, because people do have good hearts.
"That thought is the only thing keeping me going and giving me hope.”
.Copyright: .
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3. Posted at 7:53 17 Mar7:53 17 Mar
Missile deployment shows we will defend friends - Wallace
Speaking about the deployment of Sky Sabre, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace pointed out it was the UK's newest medium-range air defence missile.
In December, the government announced it was replacing the Rapier system.
Sky Sabre is the same missile type that Poland is developing for future use, said Wallace, who was speaking following talks with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak.
He added: “I hope this sends a message to the Kremlin that don’t doubt us for one second that we will stand together, stand up for our values and defend our friends such as Poland from any further aggression."
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4. Posted at 7:46 17 Mar7:46 17 Mar
Russia putting in colossal energy to talks, Kremlin claims
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The Kremlin has said Russia's negotiators are putting colossal energy into talks to reach a potential peace deal with Ukraine.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticised inaction on the part of Kyiv's delegation, saying "we do not see a similar zeal from the Ukrainian side".
He added that while elements of a potential 15-point peace deal revealed by the Financial Times on Wednesday "are on the agenda", overall the report was incorrect.
Peskov also attacked a ruling at the International Court of Justice, which ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine. He said the court had not seen any evidence to support the Kremlin’s justification for the war and that Ukraine was committing genocide against Russian-speakers in the east of the country.
He said Russia "will not be able to take this decision into account," adding that both parties - Russia and Ukraine - must agree for the ruling to be implemented.
Echoing comments made by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night, Peskov attacked some Russian citizens, who he said have shown themselves to be "traitors", pointing to those resigning from their jobs and fleeing the country.
"In such difficult times... many people show their true colours," Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
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5. Posted at 7:35 17 Mar7:35 17 Mar
Truss praises 'incredible' response from UK public towards refugees
Liz Truss says more than 100,000 people have signed up to be part of the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Under the scheme, each household housing a refugee will be offered £350 a month, tax-free.
The foreign secretary says "it is not possible" for her to take in a refugee because of her job and family.
"But I do admire those who have put themselves forward and we've seen an incredible response," she tells BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
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6. Posted at 7:28 17 Mar7:28 17 Mar
107 children killed in Ukraine - local authorities estimate
At least 107 children have been killed and more than 120 have been wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office says.
Most of the fatalities were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson, Mykolayiv and Zhytomyr regions.
Over 410 educational institutions have been damaged by shelling, and 63 of them fully destroyed, it says.
At least 11 hospitals have been shelled, it adds.
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7. Posted at 7:16 17 Mar7:16 17 Mar
UK didn't do enough to stop Putin before - Truss
The West "didn't do enough early enough" to stop Vladimir Putin, Liz Truss tells BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour - dating back to his actions in the Donbas region in Ukraine and in Syria.
"There was too much complacency. We didn't do enough to challenge Vladimir Putin and we're now seeing these horrendous crimes taking place that violate international law," she says.
She says the UK has "led" efforts to supply weapons to Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia.
She says she wants to see tougher sanctions when it comes to banks, as well as oil and gas.
"If he succeeds in Ukraine we're likely to see even further devastation right across eastern Europe," she adds.
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8. Posted at 7:09 17 Mar7:09 17 Mar
What is the missile system the UK is deploying in Poland?
We heard a moment ago from UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who said the UK was deploying the Sky Sabre anti-air missile system to Poland, along with 100 troops, to protect Polish airspace from "further aggression by Russia".
Poland is a member of the Nato military alliance the UK is also part of.
But what is Sky Sabre?
Described by the UK government as a "a state-of-the-art air defence system", it is said to be capable of hitting a tennis ball-sized object travelling at the speed of sound.
According to the British Army, the system includes three components: a 3D surveillance radar, a battle management and intelligence suite and a missile launcher.
It fires 99kg missiles that can reach speeds of up to 2,300 mph.
In practice, it will give Poland the ability to defend itself from jet fighters, missiles and bombs.
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9. Posted at 7:04 17 Mar7:04 17 Mar
'We cannot take peace and security for granted' - Stoltenberg
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been speaking at a news conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Stoltenberg told reporters that "President Putin's war against Ukraine has shattered peace and shocked the world".
He paid tribute to Kyiv's forces and pledged to continue supporting them "to uphold the right to self-defence enshrined in the UN charter".
He commended Germany for its military and humanitarian support of Ukraine, and while he noted that "Nato has a responsibility to prevent this war from escalating further," he warned members of the security bloc that "we cannot take peace and security for granted".
"Yesterday, defence ministers started considering what we must do to reinforce our defence and deterrence for the longer term. This will require major increases to defence investment," Stoltenberg said.
Meanwhile, Scholz said that Germany has increased funding for its armed forces to ensure "that Nato is capable of fulfilling its duties and mandate".
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10. Posted at 6:56 17 Mar6:56 17 Mar
UK protecting Polish airspace from Russian aggression - UK defence secretary
More now on news the UK will deploy the Sky Sabre missile system and 100 troops in Poland.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace made the announcement on Thursday during a visit to Warsaw.
It comes as Nato moves to bolster the security of its eastern flank following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Wallace told a news conference: "We are going to deploy the Sky Sabre medium-range, anti-air missile system to Poland with about 100 personnel to make sure that we stand alongside Poland, protecting her airspace from any further aggression by Russia."
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11. Posted at 6:52 17 Mar6:52 17 Mar
BREAKINGUK to deploy missile system in Poland and 100 troops
The UK is to deploy the Sky Sabre missile system in Poland, along with 100 troops, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said.
Earlier this week, at least 35 people were killed in a Russian airstrike on the Yavoriv training base, near a major crossing point into Poland used by refugees from the conflict.
We'll bring you more details when we have them.
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12. Posted at 6:48 17 Mar6:48 17 Mar
'Strong evidence' Putin is a 'war criminal' - Truss
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says there is "very, very strong evidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "war criminal".
US President Joe Biden described Russian leader Vladimir Putin as such in a move likely to escalate diplomatic tensions even further.
Asked about the comment on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Truss says she didn't think it was a mistake to have said it.
"There's very, very strong evidence that he is," she says.
"There's very, very strong evidence that war crimes have been committed and that Vladimir Putin is behind them."
She says: "It's ultimately a matter for the International Criminal Court to decide who is and isn't a war criminal and for us to bring the evidence and the best thing we can do at the moment, which is what we're doing."
She says the UK is "collecting that evidence on the ground to make sure Vladimir Putin is held to account for these crimes".
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13. Posted at 6:41 17 Mar6:41 17 Mar
Sanctions won't deter Putin, oligarch warns
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
One of Russia's wealthiest oligarch's has said that sanctions will not deter Vladimir Putin from continuing with his invasion of Ukraine, warning the West that it is failing to understand how power in Moscow works.
Mikhail Fridman, the owner of Alfa Bank, told Bloomberg news that trying to force Russia's oligarchs to put pressure on Putin is an unrealistic aim.
“If the people who are in charge in the EU believe that because of sanctions, I could approach Mr. Putin and tell him to stop the war, and it will work, then I’m afraid we’re all in big trouble," Fridman said.
"That means those who are making this decision understand nothing about how Russia works. And that’s dangerous for the future.”
Fridman, who has been sanctioned by the UK and EU, said it is unlikely that anyone in Putin's orbit could discuss ending the war with him.
“The power distance between Mr Putin and anybody else is like the distance between the Earth and the cosmos,” Fridman said. "To say anything to Putin against the war, for anybody, would be kind of suicide.”
You can read more here about the Russian oligarchs facing global sanctions.
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14. Posted at 6:32 17 Mar6:32 17 Mar
Mariupol theatre strike appears targeted, says UK minister
BBCCopyright: BBC
The bombing of the Mariupol theatre where people were sheltering from the shelling "looks to be specific targeting of civilian infrastructure" and a "self-evident breach of international humanitarian law", the UK's Foreign Office minister says.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, James Cleverley said it is important to collect evidence of these actions so that those responsible, "whether they are battlefield commanders, right up to the top of the organisation, can be held accountable once this war is concluded."
Pressed on whether he thought the bombing of the shelter "looked like a war crime", Cleverley replied: "As I say, the targeting of civilian infrastructure is against international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.
"Ultimately it is for international courts and tribunals to make the formal decision but self-evidently, this is civilian infrastructure which we've seen had the word 'kids' painted in Russian outside of this building.
"This looks to be targeting, this looks to be specific targeting of civilian infrastructure and, as I say, that is a self-evident breach of international law and the law of armed conflict."
You can read more about the theatre bombing here.
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15. Posted at 6:30 17 Mar6:30 17 Mar
Nazanin's freedom 'completely separate' from Ukraine - Truss
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the return of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori to the UK from Iran is "completely separate" from the conflict in Ukraine.
"Of course the war in Ukraine is a very, very serious issue - but this is a completely separate issue about our longstanding debt to Iran and, of course, about the unfairly detained British citizens," she tells BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
Britain and Iran's interests have come closer together in recent weeks, during the conflict, writes our diplomatic correspondent, James Landale.
"If sanctions can be lifted and Iran can start selling its oil again, that could help reduce global energy prices," he writes.
"That is in the interests of both the UK and Iran. In that context, both sides might want to clear the diplomatic decks and make a deal more likely."
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16. Posted at 6:25 17 Mar6:25 17 Mar
West should not be 'distracted' by peace talks - ex-UK army chief
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Peace talks are a "great thing" but the West must not become "distracted" by them, says Gen Sir Nick Parker, former commander of land forces in the British Army.
Gen Parker, who has advised Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The reality is that a sovereign country has been invaded and every day we're seeing scenes of devastation and death."
He says that while the West may wish for Russia's fight to "diminish", the country has "taken batterings before".
He said western powers should therefore "be planning for the worst case and then developing options based on that".
"We need to have a clear plan that accepts that we're not going to have a no-fly zone, that accepts that we're not actually going to put our troops into Ukraine, but is going to co-ordinate this broader response," he says.
"So that we create the conditions that allows Ukraine to go back to its original borders, which must be our objective."
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17. Posted at 6:16 17 Mar6:16 17 Mar
Ukrainian refugee: We feel sad, confused and angry
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Yana Syniavina said she and her mother were "so glad" for the help they'd received from PolandImage caption: Yana Syniavina said she and her mother were "so glad" for the help they'd received from Poland
A Ukrainian refugee who is now in Poland has said she feels "sad, confused and angry" about the Russian invasion.
Yana Syniavina and her mother Liubov Syniavina, 52, fled their homes in Kyiv when the war began on 24 February to Cherkasy, a city 119 miles south of the capital, to join other family.
But as Russian troops moved further into Ukraine they decided to leave the country on 15 March, via the Polish-Ukrainian border, and are now at Przemysl, a city in south-eastern Poland. .
They are now planning an 11-hour train journey to Vienna, Austria, where they will be reunited with Liubov's sister.
Speaking about their journey out of Ukraine, Yana told the PA news agency: "We were quite scared at times. But we're here now and we're so glad of the help that Poland gives us."
She said of the outbreak of the war: "We feel, sad, confused and angry because they came to our land. They came to our homes."
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18. Posted at 6:08 17 Mar6:08 17 Mar
Putin fighting on all fronts as invasion falters
Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Vladimir Putin's speech to the Russian people on Wednesday night was quite extraordinary. Speaking from the Kremlin, we saw a Russian president who is fighting on all fronts.
Fighting in Ukraine, where he claimed his so-called special military operation is going according to plan. And we heard him again trying to justify Russia's military action, to frame it as an act of self-defence.
But he knows he also has a fight on at home. He knows by now that the wave of international sanctions will cause massive economic pain here, and potentially social unrest.
He talked about inflation rising, unemployment rising. So he's looking for scapegoats, for people to blame so the Russian people won't blame him when that economic pain starts to bite acutely.
And the scapegoats have been chosen. He denounced the traitors, the fifth columnists and the "pro-Western scum". In other words, it's us against them, good against evil. Vladimir Putin is trying to create division at home to absolve himself of responsibility for the consequences of his invasion of Ukraine.
Now we have to wait and see what the effect of this speech is on Russian society.
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19. Posted at 5:52 17 Mar5:52 17 Mar
Devastated Mariupol theatre before and after
BBCCopyright: BBC
These before and after photographs show the devastation of the Mariupol theatre where residents were sheltering from shelling.
As we've just reported, Ukrainian authorities say the bomb shelter in the building withstood the bombing and they’re now working on getting people out.
Ukrainian MP Dmytro Gurin told the BBC's Today programme earlier that "more than 1,000 people" were sheltering in the theatre at the time.
Gurin said the building was targeted by Russia despite large messages on the ground - warning that children were present - being visible from the sky.
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20. Posted at 5:46 17 Mar5:46 17 Mar
Watch: Firefighters evacuate residents from missile-hit flats in Kyiv
Video content
Video caption: Ukraine war: Firefighters evacuate people from missile-hit Kyiv flatsUkraine war: Firefighters evacuate people from missile-hit Kyiv flats
As we reported earlier, at least one person has died and three others were injured after the debris of a downed missile hit a residential apartment in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
Watch the above video of firefighters tackling fires at the block and helping evacuate residents.
1. 5:28 17 Mar
'I want to give Ukraine refugees the welcome I had'
Tina WnukowskaCopyright: Tina Wnukowska
Tina Wnukowska with her husband GniewoszImage caption: Tina Wnukowska with her husband Gniewosz
A woman who arrived in the UK 10 years ago with only a suitcase has signed up to welcome Ukrainian refugees into her home.
Tina Wnukowska from Gloucester says she wants to return the help she and her family received after arriving from Poland.
"We worked hard to get what we've got and we want to share it," she tells the BBC.
Tina is originally from Lodz in Poland, and now lives in Quedgeley with her husband Gniewosz and two children.
"We came here over 10 years ago now with one suitcase and a little child and we had people who helped us to build our life here and I think it's really important to give back."
Tina, who works in the NHS and is a student nurse, says she doesn't know how long a refugee would stay with her family but is ready for the commitment.
"I wouldn't mind up to a year but it depends on how things are going in Ukraine."
Read more about the families coming forward to help Ukrainian refugees here.
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2. Posted at 5:16 17 Mar5:16 17 Mar
Ukraine war highlights the importance of Black Sea region
Nick Thorpe
BBC News, Hungary border
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Refugees cross the Danube river to Romania on river ferriesImage caption: Refugees cross the Danube river to Romania on river ferries
460,000 refugees from Ukraine have now entered Romania, according to border police figures.
Of these, 130,000 have stayed in the country, while others have travelled on to other places in Europe, including Bulgaria, further round the Black Sea coast.
The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the strategic importance of the Black Sea region.
As Russian naval ships and land forces approach Odesa, many Ukrainians flee along the coast to the Danube river at Isaccea, first by train, then by bus. They then cross the Danube on river ferries.
It’s just one of the points through which Ukrainians are fleeing the Russian invasion, but also one of the most spectacular. It is the only place on Ukraine’s long western border where people arrive by boat.
Once on Romanian soil, fire brigade officers and volunteers help them the last few metres to a well-organised complex of tents where warm food and drinks are provided, out of the bitter wind off the river.
The latest arrivals included a 10-day-old baby.
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3. Posted at 5:07 17 Mar5:07 17 Mar
Help came too late, Zelensky tells German politicians
EPACopyright: EPA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has concluded his address to the German Bundestag in Berlin.
He thanked Germany for its assistance, but told lawmakers their support "came too late to stop war".
"Why does 'never again' not apply," he asked. "What is Germany's historic responsibility towards Ukraine today?".
Zelensky also criticised German leaders over the country's business interests in Russia.
"We could see your willingness to continue to do business with Russia and now we're in the middle of the cold war," Zelesnky said.
"And again this is something you have failed to see. You're still protecting yourself behind a wall that does not make it possible for you to see what we are going through."
He concluded by calling for Germany to tackle Russian aggression and impose harsher sanctions on Moscow. "Peace is more important than income," he told MPs.
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4. Posted at 4:59 17 Mar4:59 17 Mar
BREAKINGMost people have survived attack on Mariupol theatre - MP
Hugo Bachega
BBC News, Lviv
More than 1,000 women and children are in the bomb shelter in Mariupol theatre, an MP from Mariupol has said.
The Ukrainian authorities say the theatre was attacked by Russians and the number of casualties is unknown.
MP Dmytro Gurin, whose parents are trapped in the city, told the BBC: "The [theatre] building is destroyed, we have more than 1,000 women and children in the bomb shelter, in the basement.
"Minutes ago we had an information that the bomb shelter survived and people there survived.
"We don't know yet whether we have wounded people, or killed people. But it looks like most of them have survived and are ok."
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5. Posted at 4:52 17 Mar4:52 17 Mar
Thousands of children vulnerable to trafficking, rescue group says
BBCCopyright: BBC
Ukrainian orphans in Trakai, LithuaniaImage caption: Ukrainian orphans in Trakai, Lithuania
Among the most vulnerable people in Ukraine following the outbreak of war are the estimated 200,000 children in Ukrainian orphanages and foster homes.
Jeremy Locke, a US military veteran who is helping organise safe passage for these children, says the war and the rush to evacuate children from conflict presents an opportunity for criminal gangs.
Locke, who is chief of operations at Aerial Recovery, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There is so much confusion going on right now, especially initially when the invasion first happened.
"There was this desire of people coming in, wanting to do good, and rush these children and these orphans across international borders... Rushing these children across the borders, it creates that environment and the opportunity for trafficking to happen."
Locke says Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy estimates 10,000 children from orphanages and foster homes remain unaccounted for.
He says: "There still are thousands of these orphans that are in danger. And as Russian troops move around, it makes more of them in danger. So it's a constantly shifting scene that we have to be very reactive to."
Locke says his group has so far helped transport and safeguard 403 orphans, though he expects this number to increase.
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6. Posted at 4:43 17 Mar4:43 17 Mar
Theatre bomb shelter survived bombing - authorities
James Waterhouse
Kyiv correspondent, BBC News
Authorities in Ukraine say the bomb shelter in the Mariupol theatre withstood the bombing.
They say they’re now working on getting people out.
Video content
Video caption: Ukraine war: Mariupol theatre destroyed in bombingUkraine war: Mariupol theatre destroyed in bombing
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7. Posted at 4:38 17 Mar4:38 17 Mar
Zelesnky addressing German parliament
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently addressing the German Bundestag in Berlin.
Having received a standing ovation at the beginning of his speech, Zelensky is repeating the themes of his addresses to the UK Parliament and the US Congress, urging leaders to take more action to tackle Russia's aggression.
He urges Germany to adopt "the leadership role it deserves" and calls on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to tear down a "wall" against freedom being erected by Russia in Europe.
Zelensky also criticizes the lack of action taken by EU nations before the invasion, telling MPs that sanctions came too late.
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8. Posted at 4:28 17 Mar4:28 17 Mar
Mariupol theatre targeted deliberately, Ukrainian MP says
BBCCopyright: BBC
A Ukrainian MP says the theatre in Mariupol in which residents were sheltering from shelling was deliberately targeted by Russian bombers.
Dmytro Gurin tells the BBC's Today programme "more than 1,000 people" were sheltering in the theatre when it was targeted by Moscow's forces, despite a large message warning of the presence of children being visible from the sky.
"The pilot from the airplane saw these words, and he bombed the dramatic theatre anyway," Gurin says.
The MP says one survivor reported the theatre had been destroyed "by a bomb of around 1,000 kilos of explosives".
"There is no dramatic theatre anymore, as I remember it, just rest of the building. And we don't know yet the number of dead".
Gurin, whose parents are trapped in the port city, says it remains unclear whether anyone survived the attack as communication infrastructure in the city has been damaged in intense fighting.
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9. Posted at 4:20 17 Mar4:20 17 Mar
Nearly two million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since war began - border guard
Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Most refugees have gone to large cities including Warsaw, Krakow and WroclawImage caption: Most refugees have gone to large cities including Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw
Some 1.95 million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began, the Polish Border Guard agency said this morning.
More than half a million people have already left the country for other destinations, according to Warsaw University migration researcher Prof Maciej Duszczyk.
On Wednesday alone, 60,000 people crossed the border, the border guard said, down 11% from Tuesday.
As of 06:00 GMT on Thursday, 12,000 people had crossed, down from 13,600 during the same period on Wednesday.
Most refugees have gone to large cities including Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw, which are experiencing difficulties coping with the numbers.
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10. Posted at 4:08 17 Mar4:08 17 Mar
What does Putin want?
Paul Kirby
BBC News Online Europe editor
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The goals Russian President Vladimir Putin set at the start of Russia's invasion appear to have been watered down during the course of a war he assumed would be swiftly won.
But what is clear is that he sees this as a pivotal moment in Russian history.
The Russian leader's initial aim was to overrun Ukraine and depose its government, ending for good its desire to join the Western defensive alliance Nato.
He told the Russian people his goal was to "demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine", to protect people subjected to what he called eight years of bullying and genocide by Ukraine's government. "It is not our plan to occupy the Ukrainian territory. We do not intend to impose anything on anyone by force," he insisted.
But there were no Nazis and no genocide, and Russia has imposed brutal force on dozens of towns and cities and united Ukrainians in opposition to its occupation.
The bombardment continues - but latest reports from peace talks suggest Russia is no longer seeking to overthrow the government and is instead aiming for a neutral Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
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11. Posted at 4:00 17 Mar4:00 17 Mar
Ukraine hopes to open humanitarian corridor from Mariupol
Office of Iryna VereshchukCopyright: Office of Iryna Vereshchuk
Ukrainian officials say they hope to open nine "humanitarian corridors" from several cities across the country, including from the besieged city of Mariupol in the south-east.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says the government is also hoping to open routes over the course of today.
The move comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had deliberately targeted a theatre in Mariupol in which hundreds of people were sheltering from shelling.
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12. Posted at 3:51 17 Mar3:51 17 Mar
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific no longer sending flights through Russian airspace
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific is no longer sending flights through Russian airspace following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It joins a growing number of Asian airlines that are avoiding the area, despite longer journey times.
In a statement to the Reuters news agency, Cathay Pacific said: "We regularly review our flight routings internally and also with information provided by external parties.
"We are currently not flying through Russian airspace."
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13. Posted at 3:42 17 Mar3:42 17 Mar
Hungary expects 'wave' of refugees next week
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that he expects to see a "bigger wave of refugees" arriving in the country next week from Ukraine.
Speaking in a video posted to Facebook during a visit to a crossing point near Hungary's border with Ukraine and Romania, Orban said more border guards would be posted there next week to handle the increased influx.
As of 14 March, some 263,888 Ukrainians had crossed the border into Hungary, according to the UN's human rights watchdog.
On Wednesday, an advisor to Orban told Hungarian media that that officials expected to receive over 900,000 refugees by the end of the war.
However, the number of refugees arriving in Hungary has fallen considerably over the past week.
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14. Posted at 3:33 17 Mar3:33 17 Mar
Even amid ceasefire talks, terrifying events like in Mariupol still continue
Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent
Even amid ceasefire talks, terrifying events like in Mariupol still continue
In wars, even as two sides talk, unless there is a ceasefire what happens on the ground can take terrifying turns.
And so it has been here in Ukraine, in the besieged southern city of Mariupol.
On Wednesday evening, city officials told the BBC that a theatre in the city where more than 1,000 people had been sheltering - taking refuge against the incessant Russian shelling - came under bombardment.
And the continuing bombardment made it impossible for rescue workers to reach the theatre for hours.
The Russian defence ministry denied that they struck this theatre. So again we're left with who caused what, who is to blame. And in a city which is suffering.
Humanitarian corridors have not been working. About 30,000 people have now been able to leave the city, but always under sporadic gunfire.
We are getting reports from Ukrainians and from Russians that they are making progress in talks. But there's still many, many differences. The loudest words we're getting about this war is the words of war unfolding on the ground.
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15. Posted at 3:24 17 Mar3:24 17 Mar
UK should set up airlift of refugees in Poland - Lib Dem leader
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Large numbers of Ukrainian refugees have made the journey to PolandImage caption: Large numbers of Ukrainian refugees have made the journey to Poland
The UK should arrange an emergency airlift of some Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border, the leader of the Liberal Democrats has said.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Ed Davey, who recently visited the Polish-Ukrainian border, says he saw a "huge number" of Ukrainian women who were "exhausted" and "traumatised" after making the journey.
Davey says he saw 19 other countries at a humanitarian aid centre nearby with their refugee agencies, welcoming refugees and helping them move on, but there was no UK representation.
"I spoke to British aid workers who were there handing out food and nappies and chocolate and things like that and they were in despair," he says.
There has been criticism of the scale and speed of the UK's response to the refugee crisis. Some 5,500 visas had been granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and 20,000 applications had been submitted as of 16:00 on Tuesday.
The government says its visa schemes for refugees are generous and that it is important to carry out security and safeguarding checks on people coming into the country.
Davey adds: "We're not going to be able to play our part and get the Ukraine refugees who want to come to the UK here quickly and safely unless we have British presence on the ground, supported by the government, providing coaches from the border to the airport and then an emergency airlift back to the UK, no visas."
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16. Posted at 3:11 17 Mar3:11 17 Mar
Polish minister latest to condemn Putin as a 'war criminal'
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The Polish deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, has told the BBC the theatre bombing in Mariupol is another sign that Vladimir Putin's forces are resorting to more brutal tactics.
Przydacz says he agrees with US President Joe Biden's characterisation of the Russian leader as a "war criminal".
"In my opinion the initial plan was to destroy the military infrastructure," Przydacz says.
"The Kremlin believed the government of Ukraine will evaporate somehow. That was not the case. Ukrainians are very brave defending their land and their values, their democracy, the country they built, they've been building for the last 30 years. So now Mr Putin decided to hit civilian infrastructure.
"And what's worse, I've seen a photo that's around this theatre, it was written on the pavement that there are kids inside. It didn't stop Mr Putin from bombing this and it's really, as President Biden called him, this is the war criminal."
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17. Posted at 3:02 17 Mar3:02 17 Mar
Educational building in Merefa shelled - Ukraine emergency services
UKRAINE SESCopyright: UKRAINE SES
A Russian missile slammed into the building of an educational facility at about 03:30 overnight, Ukraine's State Emergency Services said.
Authorities said the building in Merefa, a town in the region of Kharkiv in the north-west, was partially destroyed. Fire services are still extinguishing the blaze.
Local media said a school and a community centre were hit.
There are no reported victims yet.
UKRAINE SESCopyright: UKRAINE SES
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18. Posted at 2:53 17 Mar2:53 17 Mar
The latest developments in Ukraine
If you're just joining us, or want a round-up, here are the latest developments in Ukraine.
• In the besieged city of Mariupol, buses carrying around 300 refugees have arrived across the border in Russia's Rostov region, according to Russian media. Yesterday, Russian missile strikes hit a theatre in the city where over 1,000 people were thought to be sheltering, according to the city's deputy mayor
• Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky accused Russia of purposely targeting the theatre. Russia has denied bombing it.
• In the capital Kyiv, one person has died and three others are injured after an apartment building was hit by the remains of a downed missile. Rescue workers are searching for people who may be trapped under the rubble, says Ukraine's State Emergency Services
• In Chernihiv, 13 people waiting in a queue for bread were reportedly killed by Russian shelling
• On the diplomatic front, relations between the US and Russia plummeted further after US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal". The Kremlin labelled Biden's comments "unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric"
• Before the comment was made, Zelensky spoke to the US Congress in a virtual address in which he called for more Western support
• The US pledged an additional $1bn (£764m) in weapons to Ukraine - including tactical drones, rocket and grenade launchers, rifles, machine guns, body armour, and ammunition
• Analysis from military experts including the UK defence ministry says the Russian invasion has "stalled on all fronts"
This is Ayeshea Perera in Singapore signing off and handing over to my colleagues James Clarke, Matt Murphy and Alex Therrien in London.
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19. Posted at 2:46 17 Mar2:46 17 Mar
Zelensky to address German parliament on Thursday
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
File photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in bilateral talks in 2022.Image caption: File photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in bilateral talks in 2022.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is set to address German lawmakers on Thursday, in his latest bid to sway policymakers in Western democracies over the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky will address Germany's lower house of parliament at 8:00 GMT.
The Russian invasion swiftly prompted German chancellor Olaf Scholz to announce support for Ukraine. He also increased German defence spending and sent arms to Ukraine.
Polls suggest many Germans support Zelensky's call for a ban on Russian energy, but oil ministers have said that phasing out the use of Russian gas will not be immediate. However, a plan is already in place to stop importing Russian coal.
Read more about how Germany is reversing decades of warming ties with Russia here:
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20. Posted at 2:37 17 Mar2:37 17 Mar
The Russian families grieving fallen soldiers
Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor
Here's a dispatch from our Russia editor, who's borne witness to the grief of Russian families who've lost their sons on the frontline. The US estimates that 7,000 Russian troops have died so far; Moscow says it's fewer than 500:
In the Church of Alexandra and Antonina lies a coffin. It is draped with a Russian tricolour. Resting on the casket: a service cap and a photograph.
Mikhail Orchikov was deputy commander of a motor-rifle brigade. He was killed in action in Ukraine.
The dead soldier's widow, head covered in a black scarf, is being comforted by relatives.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Mikhail coffin was wrapped in the national flag before burialImage caption: Mikhail coffin was wrapped in the national flag before burial
How many Russian servicemen have been killed in Ukraine? It is a criminal offence in Russia to report anything other than the official figures.
According to Russia's Defence Ministry, 498 soldiers have lost their lives in what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation".
Those are the latest figures, from 2 March. There has been no update for two weeks.
"The situation in our country isn't simple," the priest tells the congregation. "Everyone understands that."
1. 2:36 17 Mar
Mariupol theatre attack shows Russians 'like taste of blood' - Mykolaiv mayor
The mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv has condemned the Russian attack on a theatre on Mariupol, calling it a source of great grief.
Around 1,000 to 1,200 civilians were reportedly sheltering in the theatre before being struck down by Russian forces, Mariupol officials have said. The number of casualties is still unknown.
Speaking to the BBC, Oleksandr Senkevych said, "I would call this Russian Nazism because they kill people. When they say they try to 'de-nazificate' ... or 'de-militarise' Ukraine, it's totally untrue because they just kill civilians," Senkevych said.
"So, I think they like the taste of the blood."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified the war as a “special military operation” with the goal to “denazify” Ukraine - a claim that has been largely dismissed.
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2. Posted at 2:24 17 Mar2:24 17 Mar
In Pictures: Mariupol theatre targeted by Russian bombers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of intentionally bombing a theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol where hundreds of people were hiding from shelling.
The words "Children" were marked on the ground outside in large letter to warn Russian jets away from the building.
As of yet there has been no official report on the number of casualties.
Russia denies targeting civilians and says it did not launch the attack.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
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3. Posted at 2:22 17 Mar2:22 17 Mar
BREAKINGRussian invasion 'has stalled on all fronts'- UK
Russia's offensives in Ukraine have "largely stalled on all fronts", says the UK's Defence Ministry in its assessment this morning.
The brief adds that Russian forces have "made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days, and they continue to suffer heavy losses."
"Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands."
Ukaine's military says Russia's efforts have now switched to aerial attacks- bombing and shelling civilian populations - because they've been "unsuccessful" in their ground operations.
Moscow has only recorded about 500 troop deaths so far, but US intelligence estimates it to be closer to 7,000 personnel.
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4. Posted at 2:15 17 Mar2:15 17 Mar
Fake Zelensky capitulation address shared on social media
Shayan Sardarizadeh
Disinformation specialist
NoneCopyright: None
A fake video of President Volodymyr Zelensky calling on Ukrainian troops to lay down their arms has been making the rounds on social media.
Although his lips move in sync with the audio, Zelensky's head looks out of place and the voice does not sounds like his either.
A still from the fake video appeared on the website of Ukrainian TV channel Ukrayina 24 earlier in the day and the text of the message was also briefly broadcast on TV.
Ukrayina 24 said in a statement that its website and ticker had been hacked. The website was previously inaccessible but has since been restored.
Zelensky dismissed the address as fake in a video posted on his Instagram, saying he "can only suggest that Russian servicemen lay down their arms and go home".
The video clip was likely made using deepfake technology to modify video footage - usually replacing one person's face with another - with realistic results.
If that is confirmed, the doctored Zelensky clip would be the first deepfake of this war.
Find out how to spot false posts about Ukraine here.
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5. Posted at 2:05 17 Mar2:05 17 Mar
Russia focus on targeting civilians from air as ground operations fail: Ukraine
Russian bombs continue to fall on civilian populations in Ukraine, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
In a Facebook post, Ukraine's armed forces say Russia's "unsuccessful" military operations on the ground mean that it is focusing on the battle in the air - targeting infrastructure and densely populated areas of Ukrainian cities.
Despite the aerial onslaught, Ukraine claims it is winning battles in the air and on the ground and says it has shot down 10 enemy air targets.
The BBC can't verify these claims.
The statement adds that Russia is acting "insidiously" by targeting Ukraine's online communications; including carrying out cyber attacks, destroying TV and radio broadcast buildings, and spreading misinformation about the invasion.
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6. Posted at 1:48 17 Mar1:48 17 Mar
Putin is 'fighting on all fronts' - BBC Russia editor
As pressure ramps up on Putin both at home and overseas, this is what our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg has to say about it:
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Putin's comments - which were delivered in a speech on Wednesday to his government ministers - come as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its third week.
The war has resulted in a wave of crushing sanctions being levelled against Russia, adding to the country's economic and diplomatic isolation from the international community.
Putin's actions in Ukraine also led to US president Joe Biden calling him a "war criminal" on Wednesday evening. The Kremlin hit back, calling the comments "unacceptable and unforgiveable rhetoric".
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7. Posted at 1:38 17 Mar1:38 17 Mar
Is there a way out of this war?
Paul Kirby
BBC News Online Europe editor
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak believes a ceasefire could start in the coming days because Russian forces are stuck in their current positions.
Both sides have spoken positively of progress in negotiations, and Mr Podolyak says Russia's president has softened his demands.
At the start of the war, the Russian leader wanted Ukraine to recognise Crimea as part of Russia and to recognise the independence of the separatist-run east. Ukraine would have to change its constitution to guarantee it would not join Nato and the EU.
The future status of Crimea and the Russian-backed statelets in Luhansk and Donetsk is still far from being resolved, but they may not be a deal-breaker if the two sides agree to address that issue at a later date.
Russia does appear to have accepted it cannot depose Ukraine's leadership and replace it with a puppet government, as in Belarus.
"It feels like [Putin] will have to accept a much more limited list," says Tatiana Stanovaya, of analysis firm RPolitik and the Carnegie Moscow Center.
That is because Russia is considering a "neutral, demilitarised" Ukraine with its own army and navy, along the lines of Austria or Sweden, which are both EU members. Austria is neutral, but Sweden is not. In fact it is non-aligned and takes part in Nato exercises.
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8. Posted at 1:30 17 Mar1:30 17 Mar
In photos: Missile debris hits Kyiv residential building
One person died and three others were injured after a Kyiv apartment building was hit by the remains of a downed missile.
Dozens have been evacuated from the apartment complex.
Rescue workers are now searching for those who may be trapped under rubble, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Services.
Here are some images showing the extent of the damage as well as of the rescue efforts.
Ukraine State Emergency ServicesCopyright: Ukraine State Emergency Services
Firefighters and rescue personnel evacuating residents from the tower blockImage caption: Firefighters and rescue personnel evacuating residents from the tower block
Ukraine State Emergency ServicesCopyright: Ukraine State Emergency Services
Debris from the strike littered on the groundImage caption: Debris from the strike littered on the ground
Ukraine State Emergency ServicesCopyright: Ukraine State Emergency Services
Emergency services received the call about the hit at 5.02AM on ThursdayImage caption: Emergency services received the call about the hit at 5.02AM on Thursday
Ukraine State Emergency ServicesCopyright: Ukraine State Emergency Services
Residents from the eleventh floor upwards were evacuated from the buildingImage caption: Residents from the eleventh floor upwards were evacuated from the building
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9. Posted at 1:19 17 Mar1:19 17 Mar
Japan spots Russian warships possibly heading for Ukraine
Four large Russian warfare ships have been spotted sailing close to the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido as they travelled West, possibly towards Europe, Reuters reports.
Pictures published by Japan's defence ministry showed what looked like military trucks situated on the deck of one of the passing vessels.
Asked whether they could be headed for Ukraine, a Japanese defence minister spokesperson told Reuters, "it is possible".
Russia's so-called "military operation" has not gone as well as planned so far, with military equipment likely depleted to a greater extent than it anticipated, according to military analysts.
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10. Posted at 1:07 17 Mar1:07 17 Mar
BREAKINGOne dead after missile debris hits Kyiv residential building
At least one person was killed and three wounded after the remains of a downed missile hit a residential building in the Ukranian capital, Kyiv, Ukraine'semergency service has said.
The tower was reportedly struck at 5:02 AM local time (3:02 GMT) on Thursday morning in the Darnytskyi district of the capital, before firefighters and rescue personnel were dispatched to the scene.
People have been evacuated from the eleventh floors and higher, and rescue operations are being carried out to dismantle the structures and search for those trapped underneath the rubble, the SES reported.
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11. Posted at 0:58 17 Mar0:58 17 Mar
In photos: Russian strike on Mariupol theatre
We reported earlier about the Russian bomb that was dropped on a theatre in the besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Pictures that have emerged after the attack and verified by the BBC show the scale of destruction.
An estimated 1,000 to 1,200 people were sheltering in the theatre before the bomb hit, Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov told the BBC. The number of casualties remains unknown.
Mariupol NowCopyright: Mariupol Now
Smoke billowing from the theatre with a completely collapsed facadeImage caption: Smoke billowing from the theatre with a completely collapsed facade
Local authorities say at least 2,400 people have been killed in Mariupol since the start of the war, although they acknowledge that the real numbers are likely to be much higher.
Mariupol NowCopyright: Mariupol Now
Mariupol officials say around 1,000 to 1,200 people were sheltering in the theatre before the bomb hitImage caption: Mariupol officials say around 1,000 to 1,200 people were sheltering in the theatre before the bomb hit
A further 300,000 residents are trapped inside the city, where running water, electricity and gas have been cut off.
Food and water supplies are running low, as Russian troops have not allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Read more about the strike here.
Mariupol NowCopyright: Mariupol Now
Mariupol has experienced some of the most intense bombardment by Russian forces since the invasion beganImage caption: Mariupol has experienced some of the most intense bombardment by Russian forces since the invasion began
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12. Posted at 0:44 17 Mar0:44 17 Mar
UN Security Council to meet on Thursday
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is set to be held on Thursday to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
The US, Britain, France, Ireland, Norway and Albania called for the meeting, diplomatic sources report, following the increase in shelling on civilian areas in recent days.
The US, UK and France are all permanent members of the council along with Russia and China.
It's being reported that discussions are also underway to set up an occasion for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak to the UN General Assembly - which is made up of all the member states.
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13. Posted at 0:33 17 Mar0:33 17 Mar
Tens of thousands fleeing under-attack Mariupol
NATIONAL POLICE OF UKRAINECopyright: NATIONAL POLICE OF UKRAINE
A mother and son from Mariupol in Zaporizhia, a city north of their homeImage caption: A mother and son from Mariupol in Zaporizhia, a city north of their home
The southern port city Mariupol has been heavily targeted by Russian shelling in the past two weeks and more than 30,000 people are estimated to have fled already.
On Thursday, another 13 buses carrying around 300 refugees arrived across the border in Russia’s Rostov region, Russian media reported.
Mariupol is experiencing the worst humanitarian disaster, with food, water, electricity, and other key supplies cut off.
Russian missile strikes on the city have also targeted a children’s hospital, and yesterday, a theatre where over 1,200 people had been sheltering.
At least 2,400 civilians have been killed so far in the city, Ukraine officials say.
Yesterday, Ukraine also reported that in another city, Chernihiv, Russian forces shot and killed 13 Ukrainians who were queueing to buy bread.
BBCCopyright: BBC
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14. Analysis
Posted at 0:13 17 Mar0:13 17 Mar
Biden 'war criminal' remark a new phase in US-Russia relations
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Biden made the remark after speaking at an event unrelated to UkraineImage caption: Biden made the remark after speaking at an event unrelated to Ukraine
One by one, diplomatic bridges between the United States and Russia are being set ablaze.
The latest bit of rhetorical demolition came when Joe Biden labelled Vladimir Putin a war criminal, a move that Russia said was "unforgivable".
Mr Biden’s statement was an odd one, albeit not out of keeping for a politician who has a history of making monumental policy shifts in seemingly off-the-cuff remarks (see, for instance, his comments on gay marriage in 2012).
After initially telling a reporter he did not think Mr Putin was a criminal, he came back and reversed himself. If there had been an internal debate at the White House over how to handle the growing calls in Congress and the press to condemn Mr Putin in this way, the president settled it in an aside, not a set-piece speech.
This, of course, will make it harder for Mr Biden and his administration to work with the Russians going forward. Every concession or negotiated agreement, on whatever topic, will invite the rejoinder: How can you associate with a criminal?
Perhaps Mr Biden, in his comments, was simply acknowledging the new reality - that the world's political order has irrevocably shifted, and there’s no going back to the way things were.
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15. Posted at 0:01 17 Mar0:01 17 Mar
Where did Russia attack on Wednesday?
BBCCopyright: BBC
Russian forces continue to struggle to seize ground in Ukraine, according to the latest analysis from the Institute for the Study of War think tank.
Invading troops "face mounting difficulties replacing combat losses," the report says, noting the reported death of a fourth Russian general.
Reserve troops from Armenia and South Ossetia - a territory Russia seized from Georgia in 2008 - are being redeployed to the region, according to the report's authors.
The reinforcement troops, "will likely face equal or greater command and logistics difficulties to current frontline Russian units".
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces were able to repel several Russian attacks on northwest Kyiv on Wednesday. No attacks were made on the northeast outskirts of the city.
The pocket of resistance in the port city Mariupol continued to shrink, however.
Shelling of civilians continues there and in Kharkiv, in the northwest. The city is unlikely to surrender unless Russia surrounds it, which so far they seem "unable to achieve".
Russian warships also shelled the Odesa region, although the report says the Russian Naval Infantry is unlikely to attempt an amphibious assault without more military support.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ukrainian troops guard a checkpoint outside KyivImage caption: Ukrainian troops guard a checkpoint outside Kyiv
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16. Posted at 23:45 16 Mar23:45 16 Mar
International group established to target Russian oligarchs
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Spanish police guard a yacht seized in MallorcaImage caption: Spanish police guard a yacht seized in Mallorca
The US has set up an international task force to hunt down and seize the assets of Russian elites and oligarchs.
The group includes Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the European Commission, according to the US Treasury Department.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday held their first virtual meeting with representatives of all the participating countries.
"In the last three weeks alone, information provided by US law enforcement to foreign partners has helped detain several vessels controlled by sanctioned individuals and entities," the US Treasury Department said, adding that the ships seized are worth "hundreds of millions of dollars".
The members of the working group have also been given a list of 50 people to focus their investigations on.
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17. Posted at 23:27 16 Mar23:27 16 Mar
Mariupol theatre before and after Russian strike
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of purposely destroying a theatre in Mariupol on Wednesday where about 1,200 people were sheltering.
"The bomb strike demolished the central part of the theatre building, casuing large numbers of people to be buried under the debris," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Assessing casualty levels was currently impossible "due to the ongoing shelling".
The foreign minister has tweeted a before and after of the theatre.
The BBC has not been able to verify the second image of the destruction.
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18. Posted at 23:11 16 Mar23:11 16 Mar
What has been happening today?
If you're just joining our live coverage, or want a recap, here are the latest headlines:
• With the war in Ukraine entering its third week, the war of words between world leaders has escalated significantly
• US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal"in brief remarks to reporters at a domestic event on Wednesday
• Russia swiftly condemned the comments, denouncing Biden's "unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric" and accusing the US of killing "hundreds of thousands of people around the world"
• Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky spoke to the US Congress in a virtual address in which he invoked Pearl Harbor and 9/11 and called for more Western support
• In an address to the Ukrainian people later in the day, he claimed that Russian losses have been higher than the wars in Syria, Afghanistan and Chechnya
• The US pledged an additional $1bn (£764m) in weapons to Ukraine - including tactical drones, rocket and grenade launchers, rifles, machine guns, body armour, and ammunition
• A theatre sheltering some 1,200 civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol was reportedly hit with a large Russian bomb
• In the northern city of Chernihiv, 13 people waiting in a queue for bread were reportedly killed by Russian shelling
• The mayor of Melitopol, one of the first cities to fall to Russia, has been released in exchange for nine Russian conscripts, according to Ukraine
• More than three million people have now fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations
This is Jude Sheerin in Washington DC signing off and handing over to my colleagues Ayeshea Perera and Frances Mao in Singapore.
Wednesday's live coverage was also brought to you by Boer Deng, Nathan Williams, Max Matza, Alys Davies, Leo Sands, Francesca Gillett, Sam Cabral, Joseph Lee, James Clarke, Bernd Debusmann, Alice Evans, Annabelle Liang and Tessa Wong at BBC locations around the world.
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19. Posted at 22:44 16 Mar22:44 16 Mar
We will sow wherever we can, says Ukraine food minister
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Some fields are now sown with landmines - but Ukraine's food minister says the country will have enough to eatImage caption: Some fields are now sown with landmines - but Ukraine's food minister says the country will have enough to eat
Ukraine will plant crops this spring in all regions where there are no direct hostilities, Ukraine's minister of food Roman Leshchenko says.
He tells the Interfax-Ukraine news agency the country will be able to ensure its own food security this year.
"Where we can physically sow, where there is no shooting and where there is an opportunity to go into the field - we go into the field and plant. And not only in western Ukraine, but also in the central and southern regions. We will sow wherever we can."
But concerns remain for countries that rely on exports from Ukraine for staples such as wheat. The World Food Programme has said Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia are particularly dependent on grains grown in Ukraine.
Leshchenko says exports will depend on what Russia does, with actions like blocking seaports or bombing railway infrastructure putting them at risk.
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20. Posted at 22:37 16 Mar22:37 16 Mar
Zelensky claims high death toll for Russians
Facebook/ ZelenskyCopyright: Facebook/ Zelensky
In his latest nightly address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Russia's losses in Ukraine were higher than in the wars in Syria, Chechnya and Afghanistan.
Addressing Russians in Russian, Zelensky said: "Russian troops suffer such losses in Ukraine, which were inflicted neither in Syria, nor in Chechnya. Neither did the Soviet troops suffer such losses in Afghanistan."
It's unlikely the message will have been heard by many in Russia, where information about the war is being tightly controlled.
How Zelensky arrived at this projection is unclear.
US intelligence estimates that more than 7,000 Russian troops have died during the invasion of Ukraine.
According to various estimates, about 15,000 Soviet troops died in the Afghan war (1979-89), at least 13,000 Russian troops died in the Chechen wars, and the Russian death toll in Syria is listed in the hundreds.
1. Posted at 22:18 16 Mar22:18 16 Mar
Biden war criminal gibe 'from the heart'
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
US state department spokesman Ned Price has backed President Joe Biden's labelling of Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as a "war criminal".
"When you are speaking from the heart, speaking as a human and you're seeing what we've all seen, these searing images on TV, a Russian strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol, strikes against residential buildings, against schools, against civilian neighbourhoods, it's hard not to walk away with that conclusion,” he told CNN.
His remarks echo those by Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki as she delivered the daily White House briefing earlier on Wednesday.
Psaki said Biden, while appearing at a domestic event, had been "speaking from his heart" after seeing "barbaric" images of the violence in Ukraine.
Russia has angrily condemned the "unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric", with officials in Moscow accusing the Americans of having killed "hundreds of thousands of people around the world".
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2. Posted at 21:24 16 Mar21:24 16 Mar
Melitopol mayor released in exchange for nine Russian conscripts - Ukraine
Earlier, we reported that the mayor of Melitopol was released after allegedly being held hostage by Russian troops for more than five days.
Now, new reports are emerging which say Mayor Ivan Fedorov was exchanged for nine Russian prisoners.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, a press secretary to Ukraine's president said the Russian conscripts were between 18 and 19 years old.
Following Fedorov's abduction five days ago, residents of Melitopol came out to protest against his abduction.
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3. Posted at 21:10 16 Mar21:10 16 Mar
Archbishop of Canterbury urges Russian Patriarch to back 'peace'
Harry Farley
Religion reporter, BBC News
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Patriarch Kirill is an ally of Vladimir PutinImage caption: Patriarch Kirill is an ally of Vladimir Putin
The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged the head of the Russian Orthodox Church “to join him in speaking for peace in public” in the pair’s first known conversation since the war began.
Patriarch Kirill is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He has defended the Russian invasion and shortly after Russian troops entered Ukraine he called Moscow's opponents in that country "evil forces".
Lambeth Palace said Archbishop Welby had “expressed his grave concern about the war in Ukraine, which he said is a great tragedy”.
“He [the Most Rev Justin Welby] stressed the need for an end to the violence in Ukraine and said that war and violence is never an answer".
The Russian Orthodox Church said "a detailed discussion of the critical situation in Ukraine took place" between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Patriarch, adding that the pair discussed "the humanitarian aspect" of the crisis.
The Pope has also spoken to Patriarch Kirill regarding the war.
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4. Posted at 20:58 16 Mar20:58 16 Mar
WATCH: Smoke rises from buildings struck near Mariupol central market
In this video, verified by the BBC, smoke can be seen billowing out of buildings struck by shelling in Mariupol's central market, in south-eastern Ukraine.
Earlier today, a theatre sheltering between 1,000 and 1,200 people was attacked in the city, according to the city's deputy mayor. The number of casualties is unknown.
The city has been continuously shelled since Russia invaded Ukraine, with water and electricity supplies in the city cut off.
Video content
Video caption: Smoke fills building near central market in MariupolSmoke fills building near central market in Mariupol
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5. Posted at 20:44 16 Mar20:44 16 Mar
US to supply 'killer drones' to Ukraine - reports
AeroVironment Inc.Copyright: AeroVironment Inc.
The US is sending 100 killer-drones to Ukraine as part of a huge military aid package announced today by the Biden administration, says the Associated Press, quoting a US official "familiar with the decision".
The US military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the weapons system discussed is the Switchblade 300- a backpack-worn weapon known to US forces as a "kamikaze drone".
Congressional officials told NBC News the missile system is designed for "pinpoint strikes on personnel" and can be accurately shot from milesaway directly at its target.
The weapons - though of Russian design - are owned by some European Nato members and are therefore seen as easy to integrate into Ukraine's military, according to AFP.
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6. Posted at 20:34 16 Mar20:34 16 Mar
Meta's removal of Zelensky deep fake may be just the start
Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News
EPACopyright: EPA
Zelensky speaking virtually to the US Congress on WednesdayImage caption: Zelensky speaking virtually to the US Congress on Wednesday
The head of security policy at Meta - the parent company of Instagram and Facebook - says the company has spotted and taken down a deep fake video of Ukraine's president.
“Earlier today, our teams identified and removed a deep fake video claiming to show President Zelensky issuing a statement he never did. It appeared on a reportedly compromised website and then started showing across the internet,” tweeted Nathaniel Gleicher.
“We've quickly reviewed and removed this video for violating our policy against misleading manipulated media, and notified our peers at other platforms.”
The deep fake, in which Zelensky tells people to lay down their arms, is poorly made, implausible and easy to spot.
There have been many concerns about the use of deep fakes as a tool to manipulate opinion. Even though this video is unlikely to have significant impact it may be a sign of what's to come.
Learn more about the technology here:
Deepfake technology: Can you spot what's real?
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7. Posted at 20:21 16 Mar20:21 16 Mar
The refugee host family with 'all the love to give'
Mandi ArnoldCopyright: Mandi Arnold
Mandi Arnold with her two youngest children, Presley and PhoenixImage caption: Mandi Arnold with her two youngest children, Presley and Phoenix
Two days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Mandi and John Arnold were curled up on the sofa of their home in Shropshire, England, streaming a film about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on Netflix.
It struck a nerve with the mum-of-four - she and John were both born in 1986, the same year as the disaster. So later that week when Mandi saw news of millions of Ukrainians fleeing their homes to escape Russian attacks, including in the Chernobyl area, she jumped at the chance to help.
"From the moment this all started to evolve, my heart just went straight out to them," she says.
Mandi, 35, is among more than 120,000 people to have registered their interest in a new visa scheme allowing people in the UK to host Ukrainian refugees in their own homes.
Her family has "all the love to give" to make refugees feel welcome, she says.
Mandi ArnoldCopyright: Mandi Arnold
Mandi says her daughter Amalia (left) is excited to meet any refugees. Her younger brothers Presley (centre) and Phoenix will share a room to make more spaceImage caption: Mandi says her daughter Amalia (left) is excited to meet any refugees. Her younger brothers Presley (centre) and Phoenix will share a room to make more space
Mandi can relate to the feeling of disconnect many Ukrainian refugees might have as they set foot on UK soil for the first time. She fled an abusive relationship when she was younger, leaving her network of friends and family behind to start a new life.
"I know the feeling of removing yourself from somewhere that you once called home.”
Read more here.
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8. Posted at 20:11 16 Mar20:11 16 Mar
Zelensky: Russia has become a terrorist state
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressing the US Congress on 16 MarchImage caption: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressing the US Congress on 16 March
In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says: "The world must officially recognise that Russia has become a terrorist state."
Zelensky reiterated his calls for more sanctions against Russia, more weapons for Ukraine and a no-fly zone.
The Ukrainian leader also said "real protection" for his country was a prerequisite for any negotiations with Russia to succeed.
"My priorities in the negotiations are absolutely clear: the end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country," he said.
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9. Posted at 19:50 16 Mar19:50 16 Mar
US 'warns Russia against using chemical or biological weapons'
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Russia, when it was part of the Soviet Union, controlled a massive biological weapons programmeImage caption: Russia, when it was part of the Soviet Union, controlled a massive biological weapons programme
The US says it has warned Russia of "consequences and implications of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine".
Joe Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke over the phone on Wednesday with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, General Nikolay Patrushev.
The White House said it had requested the call, its highest-level diplomatic engagement with Moscow since a February call between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Both countries have accused the other of housing and preparing to use biological weapons inside Ukraine.
General Patrushev is one of three Putin loyalists who have served with him since the 1970s.
Here's more on the general and other members of Putin's inner circle.
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10. Posted at 19:42 16 Mar19:42 16 Mar
Russian ballerina who criticised war quits Bolshoi
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Russian prima ballerina Olga SmirnovaImage caption: Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova
Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova has left the Bolshoi Ballet, Russia's internationally renowned company, after saying she is "against war with all the fibres of my soul".
She joins the Dutch National Ballet, which describes her as one of the Bolshoi's leading stars, and that it had become "untenable" for her to continue working in Russia after she condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this month, she said on Telegram: "I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia, I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our cultural and athletic achievements. But now I feel that a line has been drawn that separates the before and the after.
"It hurts that people are dying, that people are losing the roofs over their heads or are forced to abandon their homes."
You can read more about Smirnova's move here.
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11. Posted at 19:26 16 Mar19:26 16 Mar
Russia using older, less precise weapons, says UK
The UK's Ministry of Defence has released its latest update on Russia's military, saying that it has probably had to resort to using older and less precise weapons, which are more likely to result in civilian casualties.
It adds that Russia probably resorted to using these weapons as a result of failing to achieve its military objectives.
So far the UN has confirmed the deaths of 729 civilians in Ukraine, though the actual number is expected to be far higher.
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12. Posted at 19:03 16 Mar19:03 16 Mar
Mayor freed in prisoner exchange, says Ukraine official
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Residents of Melitopol held protests in the occupied city after Federov's arrestImage caption: Residents of Melitopol held protests in the occupied city after Federov's arrest
The mayor of Melitopol, who was reportedly kidnapped by Russian forces five days ago, was freed after Ukraine agreed to exchange nine captured Russian soldiers for him, according to a senior Ukrainian presidential aide.
The capture of Ivan Federov - the leader of one of the first cities captured by Russia - led President Zelensky to accuse Russia of starting a "new stage of terror".
The Russian soldiers exchanged had all been born between 2002-03, making them "actually children", Zelensky press aide Darya Zarivnaya said in a televised address.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian presidential aides said that Federov had been released after an "operation", but did not provide further details.
정책비교/국제정치
James Clarke. bbc report. Ukraine-Russia War. 200만 우크라이나 주민 폴란드로 피난.
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