As you have seen in our coverage, Russia continues to advance its invasion of Ukraine with attacks on several key cities.

As Russian forces begin to get closer to the capital, Kyiv, some deadly aerial attacks on the city have already taken place.

The apartment block below was hit by a Russian missile in the early hours of last Saturday.

The small city of Irpin sits 20km (12 miles) northwest of Kyiv and has found itself on the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces over the past week.

While Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city in the north-east of the country, has been the focus of intense bombardments by the Russians.

Chernihiv, a city 120km (75 miles) to the northeast of Kyiv, has also faced heavy shelling in recent days by Russian forces invading from the north.

Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

The UN Human Rights Council has overwhelmingly backed a resolution condemning the Russian invasion and setting up a commission to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Russia was left completely isolated, with only one other member state – Eritrea, voting against the resolution.

A commission of inquiry is the highest level of investigation the council can order – there is one for Syria, now there will be one over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

The outcome of the vote - 32 in favour, 2 against, and 13 abstentions - is a humiliation for Moscow.

China, Cuba, or Venezuela can usually be relied upon to back Russia - this time they abstained.

But some states voting in favour of the resolution, which was put forward by Ukraine with the support of the UK and the US, expressed unease that its wording was one-sided.

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, get

Amid the fog of war, it can be hard to see the way forward. Here are some potential outcomes. Most are bleak.

1. Short war

Russia ramps up its military operations with devastating attacks. Thousands die, Kyiv falls, Ukraine's president is killed or flees, and Russia installs a pro-Moscow puppet regime. This would be an unstable outcome, vulnerable to insurgency and future conflict.

2. Long war

Perhaps more likely. Maybe Russian forces get bogged down, with low morale and poor logistics. They may struggle to control even captured cities. Over time, Ukraine's forces become an effective insurgency, while the West continues to supply weapons. Perhaps after many years, Russia eventually leaves.

3. European war

Putin could send troops into ex-Soviet republics like Moldova and Georgia, that are not part of Nato. Or there could just be miscalculation and escalation. Putin might take a risk if he felt it was the only way to save his leadership - if he faced defeat, he might be tempted to escalate further.

4. Diplomatic solution

By already agreeing to talks - even if they haven't made much progress - Putin seems to at least have accepted the possibility of a negotiated ceasefire. If the war goes badly for him, Putin may judge that continuing is a greater leadership threat than the humiliation of ending it.

5. Putin ousted

It might seem unthinkable. Yet the world has changed in recent days. If the war is disastrous for Russia, there may be the threat of popular revolution. And if those who have benefited from Putin no longer think he can defend their interests, such an outcome may not be implausible.

Read James Landale's full analysis here.

Image source, Rossiya 24 news channel

President Putin has warned those opposing Russia's actions in Ukraine "not to exacerbate the situation" by imposing more restrictions on his country.

The Russian president was speaking at a government meeting broadcast on the state-controlled Rossiya 24 news channel.

"We have no ill intentions against our neighbours," Putin claims.

And he says his government sees "no need" for its neighbours to take further action that will "make our relations worse".

"I think everyone must think about how to normalise relations, co-operate normally and develop relations normally," he adds.

It comes as foreign ministers from across the West gather in Brussels to consider how to maintain pressure on Russia.

Putin also repeats his previous claim that all action taken by the Russian military so far has been made "exclusively in response to some unfriendly actions against the Russian Federation".

Claire Corkhill, professor of nuclear material degradation at the University of Sheffield, says there are "enormous risks" of war being fought so close to nuclear power stations.

Watch her analysis below.

Image source, Getty Images

A former minister - who was once in charge of Ukraine's nuclear safety - says Russia's attack on the nuclear power plant is a "fundamental and intentional threat" to international security.

Physicist Pavlo Klimkin, who was Ukraine's foreign affairs minister until 2019, told World Service's Newsday programme that his background meant he understood the risks involved.

Klimkin says a "tough, bold" response is needed to resist "a nuclear disaster of a planetary scale".

As we reported earlier, access to the BBC's news services have been restricted in Russia.

This is also the case for Deutsche Welle (DW), the global German broadcaster.

Russian authorities on Friday restricted access to DW online.

Russia had already banned DW's Russian service, external from broadcasting and withdrawn accreditation from its journalists last month, before the invasion of Ukraine.

We recently heard from Ukraine's President Zelensky, who said the Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant could have caused destruction equal to "six Chernobyls".

Prof Robin Grimes from Imperial College London says a nuclear reactor's pressure vessel "can withstand considerable damage from phenomena such as earthquakes" - but "it is not designed to withstand explosive ordinance such as artillery shells".

However, he adds that it seems unlikely that the impact would result in a "Chernobyl-like nuclear event".

Prof Tom Scott from the University of Bristol says that "shelling nuclear power plants is against the Geneva convention and this is obviously very worrying".

Earlier, our science correspondent Victoria Gill reported comments from nuclear experts who said the situation in Zaporizhzhya was not "another Chernobyl" - but could still be very risky.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said there had been "no release of radioactive material" after the attack at the plant.

Image source, Reuters

There were emotional reunions at Germany's Berlin Central Station, as people reunited with loved ones fleeing from Ukraine.

Crowds of volunteers were there to help the new arrivals, with many offering the refugees rooms in their houses.

Image source, Getty Images

Yuriy Vernydub, the Ukrainian manager of Moldovan football club Sheriff Tiraspol, says he is "not afraid" after joining the war against Russia's invasion.

Vernydub says when his son called on 24 February to say Russia had attacked Ukraine, he knew that he would return to Ukraine to fight.

His football club was in Portugal for a Europa League knockout game when he received the news.

Vernydub travelled from Portugal to Romania, and then to Tiraspol in Transnistria before arriving in Ukraine on Saturday 26 February.

By Sunday he had enrolled into the army.

"The people close to me tried to stop me," the 56-year-old says. "My wife, my children, my grandchildren. I stood strong and I thank my wife for supporting me."

He is not allowed to disclose what his role in the army is, he tells BBC Sport.

"In every minute we are ready to go where they tell us to. I have not used my weapon yet but I am ready, always. Any time."

Read more here.

Russian troops advancing on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv have so far been stopped, a Ukrainian presidential adviser says.

The line from the adviser comes not long after the local mayor said Russian troops were entering the city, which is a crucial port to the Black Sea.

We'll keep you updated when we have more.

As can be seen from the map below, taking Mykolaiv would move Russian troops closer to the major port city of Odesa.

Image source, Reuters

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is warning that Ukraine faces a "devastating humanitarian crisis" as casualty figures rise and hospitals struggle to cope.

In a statement from Geneva, the ICRC says access to fulfil its mandate under the Geneva Conventions must be granted now, and "not delayed until a potential future cease-fire".

The statement lays out the obligations of warring parties under the Geneva Conventions, including the prohibition of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, access to health care, protection of health workers, protection of those wounded or taken prisoner, and access for the ICRC to those detained.

Although the ICRC statement doesn’t explicitly say it, violation of these obligations is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, and could therefore be a war crime.

Sections of a 40-mile Russian military convoy have been modelled in a 3D video using satellite imagery - watch the footage below.

And here's out latest piece on the convoy, and why it has stalled.

Here's more from Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA, on the Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

He says he has offered to travel to Chernobyl - the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986 - to negotiate with Ukraine and Russia on ensuring the security of Ukraine's nuclear sites.

"I have indicated to both the Russian Federation and Ukraine my availability... to travel to Chernobyl as soon as possible," he told reporters.

Both sides were considering the possibility, he added.

Grossi added that any trip would take place after his return from Tehran, Iran's capital, on Saturday.

Image source, Getty Images

We've written lots about Western companies halting business in Russia - but one well-known British firm is finding it difficult to extricate itself.

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has 48 shops in Russia. However, they are operated by a franchise business in Turkey called FiBA Group.

M&S signed its franchise deal with FiBA back in 1999 and as things stand the stores will continue to operate in Russia.

For the moment, M&S says it has suspended shipments to FiBA's Russian business due to "the unfolding humanitarian crisis following the invasion of Ukraine".

It is not clear what will happen to M&S stores in Russia once the existing stock FiBA is sold. The BBC understands M&S is in ongoing talks with FiBA.

In the meantime, M&S says it is providing £1.5m in support for the UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF including donating 20,000 coats and thermals for families.

Image source, Getty Images

While it's right to think first and foremost about the impact on those caught up in the conflict, it's also completely normal to feel upset from afar by what's happening in Ukraine, says Alex Bushill, from the mental health charity Mind.

"It's very natural to be distressed by what we're seeing, you wouldn't be human if you didn't," he says.

This doesn't always lead to anxiety, but the NHS and Anxiety UK agree on some key ways to avoid it: eat well, get outside, put your phone down, connect with people, rest.

These are all pretty basic pieces of advice, but when you're stressed, they can be difficult to do consistently.

Read more advice here.

Ukraine's President Zelensky says the Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant could have caused destruction equal to "six Chernobyls".

He began a televised address with: "People of Ukraine! We survived the night that could have stopped the course of history - history of Ukraine, history of Europe."

He said Russia knew what it was doing when it aimed shells directly at the station and called it an act of "terror on an unheard-of level".

Addressing Russian people he says: "How is this even possible? Didn't we fight the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe together in 1986?"

He urges them to "take to the streets and tell your government that you want to live".

Zelensky says he is in touch with world leaders, who he said were "shocked" by the developments around the plant.

He is also calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine and sanctions against a "nuclear terrorist state". "Radiation doesn't know where Russia is. Radiation doesn't know about the borders of your country."

As we've reported today (see earlier posts) independent media is coming under pressure in Russia during the invasion.

Now the BBC says it's trying to keep its news service accessible in Russia, following reports that it has been blocked.

"Access to accurate, independent information is a fundamental human right which should not be denied to the people of Russia, millions of whom rely on BBC News every week," a spokesperson said.

"We will continue our efforts to make BBC News available in Russia, and across the rest of the world."

The BBC's Russian language news website has had record audience numbers since Russia invaded Ukraine. Visitors to the English language bbc.com site from Russia were also up by over 250% last week.

Russian TV has so far depicted the war in a very different way to the rest of the world.

Here's a line from the International Atomic Energy Agency's director general Rafael Grossi on the Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. We'll have more from the IAEA soon.

Has Putin's invasion unified European and Nato leaders?published at 09:56 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2022

09:56 GMT 4 March 2022

Nomia Iqbal
BBC News, Washington correspondent, travelling with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

On the flight to Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared confident it had - and he’s in Europe to prove it.

America's top diplomat is hoping his six-day Europe trip will help reassure allies that the US has its back.

But President Zelensky has criticised the US and other countries saying they've "acted too late".

Zelensky has repeated requests for a no-fly zone - designed to stop Russian warplanes over Ukraine - which is a red line for the US who won’t put forces in the sky or ground.

Instead the Biden administration is shipping hundreds of millions of dollars of weapons to Ukraine, and bringing together an international coalition to institute big economic sanctions to isolate Russia.

However, it's not pushed Putin into a different direction - the war continues.

There are lots of meetings today starting at Nato headquarters, and several photo operations to show unity.

Both Blinken and Nato General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg were solemn ahead of their morning meeting, referring to the overnight shelling of a nuclear plant by Russia.

Both reminded the gathered press that Nato is a defensive alliance, that does not seek conflict but if the conflict comes to them "we are ready for it".