Anna Holligan
BBC News Hague correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan has said he wants to investigate Russia for alleged war crimes, but is facing a bureaucratic obstacle.

He needs the ICC judges' approval to go ahead.

Any existing ICC member state, like the UK, could ask him to open a full-blown investigation, which could help to speed up the process.

Local media in Lithuania reported that its government has submitted such a request, but a spokesperson for the ICC told the BBC they were not yet able to confirm.

Earlier this week Ukraine asked another Hague-based court - the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - to investigate Russia for using fake claims about a genocide as a pretext for invasion.

The ICJ deals with disputes between states, whereas the ICC deals with holding individuals to account if their domestic courts failed to do so.

Both Ukraine and Russia recognise the ICJ, but neither is a member of the ICC.

And any Russian nationals accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide would have to be extradited by the Kremlin to stand trial in The Hague.

The ICC does not allow for trials in absentia and has a list of fugitives wanted for alleged war crimes.

Image source, Maxar

Images just released by satellite company Maxar Technologies show the 40-mile long Russian convoy that is pushing towards Kyiv.

The pictures show the column near the town of Ivankiv, just north of the Ukrainian capital, according to Maxar.

Image source, Maxar

Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

A cold Kyiv day dawned on Monday with a weekend curfew ending, peace talks starting, and a bright sun rising in the winter sky.

But the chilling wail of the air raid siren soon sounded. It kept piercing the quiet of a city drained of its normal rhythms. After the sun set, it almost seemed to be on a loop.

No-one here wonders why.

As darkness fell, an explosion rocked the centre of Kyiv, shaking buildings in the city centre for the first time.

Russian forces seem to be inching closer to the city centre, the prize in this war. Satellite imagery revealed an armoured convoy some 17 miles away, lumbering forward.

Ukrainian forces have been stalling its advance. And on Monday night the sky was lit by surface-to-air missiles targeting Russian warplanes and helicopters.

Other Ukrainian cities give a glimpse of what may lie in wait for Kyiv. In the north-west, Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv has been pounded by suspected cluster munitions. In the north-east, siege tactics used to devastating effect in Syria are being unleashed around the historic city of Chernihiv; shells are also slamming into its streets.

A woman I met in a shelter anxiously told me of her father’s plight. He’s in Chernobyl to the north, now occupied by Russian forces, without electricity or much of a phone signal, trying to hide the light of a burning fire now cooking his potato soup.

The sixth day of Russia’s invasion has begun.

Image source, Getty Images

Powerful explosions have been heard in Kherson, in the south of Ukraine.

They are believed to be coming from near the airport.

A port city that lies on the Dnieper River, Kherson is just north of the Crimean peninsula.

On Sunday, Moscow said its forces had "completely blocked" the city.

Satellite imagery company Maxar Technology says that earlier reports indicating the column of Russian armour advancing on Kyiv is 17 miles (27km) long are inaccurate.

The convoy actually stretches about 40 miles, according to Maxar.

The company added that new images also show ground troops and attack helicopters in southern Belarus, less than 20 miles from the Ukraine border.

Image source, Getty Images

Phones with Russian numbers will no longer be able to use Ukrainian telecoms infrastructure, according to an announcement from the State Special Communications Service of Ukraine.

"Having lost the opportunity to call from their numbers, the occupying forces are increasingly taking away phones from citizens," the Ukrainian government agency said in a statement on Telegram.

The news that telecoms firms are cutting off Russian numbers comes amid claims from the Ukrainian military, external that Russians are using their own mobile phones and walkie talkies to communicate in battle.

Ukrainians who have had their phones seized by Russian troops are asked to inform the phone operators "as soon as possible" to get the number blocked.

"We understand that doing this when the phone is taken away is not an easy task," the service said.

"However, this is very important - find neighbours who have a phone, use a landline - the security of our state and the lives of Ukrainians depend on it."

Image source, AFP

Algeria's state oil and gas firm is ready to supply additional gas to the EU from its surplus, the company's boss has said.

This is in case of a decline in gas supplies due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sonatrach CEO Toufik Hakkar said the unmet capacity at the Transmed pipeline linking Algeria to Italy could be used to increase supply.

Algerian gas accounts for about 11% of Europe's gas imports.

The US had reached out to Algeria and other countries for gas supply alternatives in case the Russian invasion led to low supplies to Europe.

Read more:

• Ukraine conflict: How reliant is Europe on Russia for oil and gas?

An expert in economic statecraft tells the BBC that tough global sanctions on Russia have "essentially vaporised" its assets.

Julia Friedlander of the Atlantic Council says there is no precedent in the history of sanctions for what Moscow is now facing.

"Compared to what we've done on Iran or Venezuela, these sanctions are hitting hard and went from zero to 60," she told BBC World News.

A Canadian comedian has joined a growing number of foreign volunteers who say they are travelling to help Ukraine, five days into the Russian invasion.

Toronto-based Anthony Walker, 29, has no military experience and says he was deemed medically unfit for Canada's armed forces three years ago.

To many of his more than 100,000 followers on social media, he’s perhaps best known for mocking supporters of former US President Donald Trump or, more recently, trucker protests in Canada.

In an interview with the BBC, Walker, a father of three, said he was now at the Polish-Ukrainian border, helping move refugees and supplies.

He said he plans to cross over into Ukraine and travel to Lviv, before eventually heading to the frontlines.

Walker says he has no illusions about the dangers.

"Grenades and bullets kill,” he said. “This is not a video game.”

Read more.

Mark Kimmitt, a retired US brigadier general, has warned Russia could unleash atrocities if it comes down to street warfare.

"If there's one thing the Russians know about, its urban conflict," he tells BBC World News.

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine's defence ministry has posted an infographic on Twitter highlighting the weakest points of Russian armour and showing civilians the best places to target them with "Molotov cocktails" or petrol bombs.

Thousands of civilians are taking part in the defence of Ukraine against Russian forces, and the Ukrainian government has issued instruction manuals on its websites and social media pages on how to make homemade explosives and petrol bombs.

The BBC has seen images of large groups of Ukrainians mixing "Molotov cocktails", a homemade incendiary device named after the Stalinist-era Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov.

Image source, Getty Images

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged the UK will "continue to bring maximum pressure to bear" on Russia.

The actions of the UK and its Western allies will ensure Vladimir Putin "feels the consequences of his actions", Johnson said.

"We speak with one voice when we say, Putin must fail."

Johnson made the remarks ahead of an official visit to Poland and Estonia, where he will meet Nato leaders and visit British troops.

He said both countries had been "acutely affected" by the Russian invasion.

"We have shared values that are more important than ever to protect, as the humanitarian situation gets worse," he told reporters.

The prospects of a humanitarian crisis are growing in Eastern Europe as Ukrainian refugees continue to pour across its borders.

Image source, Getty Images

Canada will become the first country in the G7 to ban all imports of crude oil from Russia.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement on Monday.

He said the industry "has benefited President Putin and his oligarchs greatly".

In addition to the import ban, Trudeau also announced the supply of anti-tank weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian fighters.

Canada imports about $550m (£370m) of crude oil a year from Russia, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

Image source, Getty Images

Russia used a banned thermobaric weapon during fighting in Ukraine on Monday, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US told American lawmakers in a briefing.

"They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention," Oksana Markarova told reporters after emerging from the congressional briefing. This claim has not been verified by the BBC.

Thermobaric weapons do not use conventional ammunition.

They are instead filled with a high-pressure explosive, and suck in oxygen from the surrounding environment to generate an extremely powerful explosion and pressure wave.

Their use has been seen before in the Russian republic of Chechnya, according to Human Rights Watch.

On Saturday, CNN reported seeing a thermobaric rocket launcher near the Russian town of Belgorod.

Image source, Getty Images

More now from President Zelensky's nighttime television address.

Visa-free travel will be allowed starting 1 March for any foreigners wishing to enter Ukraine to fight against Russia, he said.

He also accused Russia of committing a "war crime" in Kharkiv on Monday.

"Dozens of eyewitness accounts prove that this is not a single false volley, but a deliberate destruction of people," he said, describing the artillery attacks.

"No-one in the world will forgive you for killing peaceful Ukrainians," he continued, adding: "Evil - armed with missiles, bombs and artillery - must be stopped immediately.

"Destroyed economically. Showed that humanity knows how to defend itself."

He warned residents of the capital: "For the enemy, Kyiv is a key goal.

"They want to shut down the power plant and leave our city without electricity.

"We did not allow them to break the defence of the capital.

"And they send saboteurs to us. Constantly. Hundreds.

"Every one, we neutralise them all."

Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Russia has now committed around three-quarters of the troops it had massed on Ukraine's border.

Its air and artillery strikes have until now been limited.

Western officials say that Russia has still to destroy Ukraine's air defences and gain supremacy in the air.

They also believe that Russia's invasion is not going according to plan because it has met stronger resistance than expected and because of poor preparation. Armoured convoys have been running out of fuel.

But as Russia commits more of its resources and firepower to the fight, it could all change quickly.

Western officials on Monday said they'd seen a recent increase in Russian artillery strikes on cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv. They've expressed concern that indiscriminate firing into urban areas will lead to significant civilian casualties.

Human rights groups also say there's evidence that Russia has been using cluster munitions, banned by many countries.

Russian setbacks could lead to more ruthless actions. Russia's indiscriminate bombing campaign in Syria and, before that, Chechnya shows Russia under President Putin is more concerned about results than civilian casualties or international condemnation.

Image source, Getty Images

In five days of war, Russia has launched 56 rockets and 113 cruise missiles into Ukrainian territory, according to President Zelensky.

"We need to consider a complete closure of the sky for Russian missiles, planes and helicopters," he has said, according to the Ukrainian National News Agency (Ukrinform).

In calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, he did not say who should enforce it, or how.

Monday's peace talks were held against the backdrop of continued Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities, he added.

He also condemned Russia's role in the United Nations, saying that a country that commits war crimes should not be permitted to hold a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Despite Zelensky's plea, the US Department of State on Monday ruled out a no-fly zone in Ukraine. Such a move would be likely to thrust Nato into direct confrontation with Russia.

Image source, Maxar

Newly released satellite imagery shows a massive convoy of Russian armour descending on Kyiv.

Pictures taken on Monday, before noon in Ukraine, show Russian military units near Antonov airport, about 27km (17 miles) from the centre of the capital.

According to Maxar Technologies, the satellite-imaging company that released the photos, the convoy is nearly 17 miles (27km) long and "contains hundreds of armoured vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and logistics support vehicles".

To the west and north-west of Kyiv, satellite pictures show destroyed armoured vehicles and a damaged bridge near Irpin and Stoyanka.

Image source, Maxar

Image source, Getty Images

Nina*, a resident in Berdyansk, described the scene when Russians descended into the port city in Ukraine's southeast, on an arm of the Sea of Azov.

"The Russians entered our city four days after the war started. Within minutes, they were everywhere," she said. Their armoured tanks were topped with troops and machine guns, and, to her dismay, they set up outside her house, Nina said.

"It was terrifying to spend the night on the floor in the bathroom in this day and age, with the lights out and barely breathing," she said.

Nina said she saw claims on social media that the soldiers - young men in their 20s - were walking around the city asking for food because they were hungry.

"I felt pity for them. But then I thought that tomorrow they would go to the neighbouring city of Mariupol to kill our lads. I felt more pity for our lads," she said.

In the morning, residents gathered outside government building in Berdyansk and sang the Ukrainian national anthem "face-to-face with Russian tanks".

"Today, one of them was killed by Russian troops. Yesterday, one was killed and another wounded," Nina said. They died because Russia thinks "we, Ukrainians, have no right to be independent".

*Nina is a pseudonym to protect the speaker's identity

Image source, Getty Images

As we mentioned earlier, Western allies held a call to discuss Russia's war on Ukraine.

On the call were leaders from Nato and G7 member states.

Downing Street says participants "agreed to pursue every avenue to ensure that Putin fails in his ambitions".

According to the readout of the call, the leaders discussed the need for continued military support for the Ukrainian government and for an international response to the humanitarian situation on the ground.

No. 10 hailed the "The unity of message and action between countries in recent days", including by removing certain Russian banks from the Swift messaging system.