Russia's National Guard is now in full control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, according to the country's state-run media.

They are quoting a National Guard official as saying the plant's employees are working "normally", and that members of Ukraine's National Guard who were defending it, handed over their weapons and were set free.

Earlier, Ukraine's Energy Ministry Herman Halushchenko accused Russian troops of torturing the plant's personnel, saying the employees were being held hostage.

He also warned that Russia would force the plant's management to issue a fake statement which would be used for propaganda purposes.

The claims both by Russia and Ukraine have not been independently verified.

Last week, Russia seized the plant - the largest in Europe after shelling it for hours.

World leaders have accused Russia of endangering the safety of an entire continent by its actions, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow unleashed "nuclear terror".

Image source, Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin had planned to seize Ukraine's capital Kyiv within two days, CIA chief William Burns has said.

Speaking at a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Burns warned US lawmakers: "I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now. He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties."

Burns said Putin had been "stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years".

He described the 24 February invasion of Ukraine a matter of "deep personal conviction" for the Kremlin leader.

Michelle Fleury
BBC News, New York

Image source, Getty Images

Americans are paying more at the pump as the conflict in Ukraine escalates and oil markets respond. Petrol prices have jumped 11% in the past week.

Even before the Ukraine conflict, prices were climbing after a pandemic slump.

On American radio and TV, Republicans are lining up to point the finger at President Biden's energy policies.

They blame the administration for halting American oil production. The argument goes that, by not issuing more leases and drilling permits, the government held back production.

Biden says not so fast. During Tuesday’s press conference, he stressed that many leases to drill on land and water weren’t being used. In fact, even with prices surging, companies actually decreased the number of new oil drilling rigs by three last week, external.

Another controversial decision involved the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which Biden cancelled on his first day in office. Yet it's unclear how the pipeline between Canada and the US would have increased production.

When asked about this recently, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: "The Keystone was not an oil field. It’s a pipeline. Also, the oil is continuing to flow in, just through other means."

And the hope that US shale producers can help fix Europe's energy problems also runs into some hard truths - at least in the short term.

To export gas, you need a facility to convert it into liquefied natural gas before shipping. Right now, there simply aren’t enough export terminals to handle a sharp increase in volume.

Still that won’t stop Republicans in the coming weeks from trying to convince voters that high gas prices are Biden's fault.

The humanitarian corridors created by Russia are "somewhat of a joke", a leading US expert on Russian military affairs tells the BBC.

Michael Kofman, the director of the Russia Studies programme at the Center for Naval Analyses think tank, also says Russian forces are showing - once again - they are not reluctant to use heavy artillery fire in the presence of civilians.

Image source, Getty Images

Venezuela's socialist government has released two imprisoned Americans days after Biden administration officials travelled to Caracas to meet President Nicolás Maduro.

The move suggests a thawing of relations between the US and Venezuela, Russia's strongest ally in the Western hemisphere.

After banning Russian oil imports, the US is looking for other nations to help ease the supply shortage. Oil-producing Arab nations in the Gulf have reportedly been unwilling to increase exports, despite requests from the US.

US officials have told Venezuela that in order to remove sanctions on the country's oil sector, shipments to the US must be prioritised first, according to a Reuters report.

Some US lawmakers have aggressively denounced the idea of working with Venezuela to allow the country to export more oil.

Lucy Manning
BBC News Special Correspondent

Image source, Marianne Kay

In Rzeszow in Poland, at the British visa application centre, is 79-year-old Antonina Kolodii. She is a professor of political science and managed to flee Ukraine.

Antonia has now spent two days waiting without being seen, like hundreds of others. Her daughter has flown out from the UK trying to bring her home, but they couldn’t get an appointment until 14 March.

So, like many others, they have turned up to try to get her biometric checks done so she can go to Britain. At least they're inside the centre - others queue in the freezing cold outside.

On a Zoom call from inside the application centre, Antonia and her daughter described the situation, saying: “It's really quite desperate. There is no system in place, it's quite clear that this place is understaffed, quite severely, that there is absolutely no way that people who work here can process so many applications.

"So it's not working. People are very frustrated, very angry. They ran out of patience. If this continues for much longer, it does feel like there will be riots."

They said "it’s a really inappropriate way to treat someone who has already been under really difficult conditions for many days".

You can read more about the frustration felt by Antonia's daughter - and other Ukrainian refugees - towards the UK visa centre in Poland here.

Maria Avdeeva, a resident of Kharkiv, says she remains in the city.

Speaking to BBC World News, Avdeeva said: "I'm still in the city because this is my home, this is where I belong."

She accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting the city's critical infrastructure, but said the enemy morale was clearly low.

Nataly, her daughter and their pet dogs have arrived in Austria after five days of travelling from their home in Kyiv.

Speaking to Radio 5 Live, she says her 19-year-old son was attempting to leave the country with her, but was stopped at the border.

“He’s a student and they were told they were not enlisted yet to the army,” she says.

“We were hoping they would let us cross the border but he was turned down by Ukrainian customs.”

Nataly’s son has now been reunited with his father in Ukraine.

In a declaration last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said all Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 should stay in the country and fight.

Image source, Reuters

The White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Joe Biden and the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Wall Street Journal reports, external.

The outreach came as the US was working to build international support for Ukraine and contain a surge in oil prices.

Middle East and US officials told the newspaper that both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE's Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan both declined US requests to speak to Biden in recent weeks.

The Saudis want more support for their intervention in Yemen’s civil war, help with their own civilian nuclear programme, and legal immunity for Prince Mohammed in the US, according to Saudi officials cited by the WSJ.

The crown prince faces lawsuits in America, including over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi.

During his presidential campaign, Biden described Saudi Arabia as a "pariah" state, pledging to make it "pay the price" for human rights abuses.

Meanwhile, the UAE shares Saudi concerns about the restrained US response to recent missile strikes by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen against the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the WSJ reports.

Bernd Debusmann
BBC News, Washington

Image source, none

Wanted: multilingual former soldiers willing to covertly head into Ukraine for the handsome sum of up to $2,000 (£1,500) per day - plus bonus - to help rescue families from an increasingly grim conflict.

It sounds ripped from the script of an action movie, but the job advert is real - taken from an employment website, Silent Professionals, for those working in the private military and security industry.

And, insiders say, demand is growing.

Amid the conflict in Ukraine, US and European private contractors say they are increasingly eying opportunities, ranging from 'extraction' missions to helping with logistics.

Read more on the "frenzy in the market" for private contractors in Ukraine.

Image source, Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Here's a recap of major developments on Tuesday, day 13 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine:

• The US banned Russian oil and gas imports effective immediately, while the UK plans to phase out Russian oil by the end of 2022
• Russia responded by banning the export of certain commodities and raw materials. It also threatened to cut the gas supply to Europe, which remains heavily reliant on Russian energy
• Poland says its fighter jets are ready to deploy to the main US air base in Germany, but the US says it was not consulted about the proposal and rejects it as not "tenable"
• Major companies facing pressure to withdraw from Russia announce they will do so, including McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Pepsi
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes a virtual address to the UK House of Commons
• The United Nations says more than two million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began

Image source, Getty Images

Fitch Ratings has downgraded Russia's credit rating further into 'junk' territory, from "B" to "C".

"The 'C' rating reflects Fitch's view that a sovereign default is imminent," according to a statement from the American credit rating agency on Tuesday.

The change comes less than a week after Fitch's last downgrade, when it revoked Russia's investment-grade status.

Sanctions and trade restrictions have plunged the country's financial markets into turmoil and raised concerns about its ability to service debt.

Image source, Reuters

Venezuela could increase its oil production by 400,000 barrels a day to help replace Russian oil.

Head of the Venezuelan Oil Chamber, Reinaldo Quintero, told the BBC that the South American country has the infrastructure to raise its production levels from the current 800,000 barrels per day to 1.2 million.

“That will make us able to supply some of the need [in] the North American market,” he said.

His comments come amid reports of a recent surprise visit by US officials to Caracas, to meet with the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which is currently facing US sanctions.

Some members of Congress have been sharply critical of the efforts to revive ties with Venezuela, a steadfast Russian ally.

Quintero said he does not expect the sanctions - imposed by former President Donald Trump - to be lifted, but that the Biden administration will likely issue licenses allowing foreign companies to operate in Venezuela, thus exempting them from sanctions.

This, he said, would also allow for much-needed foreign investment into Venezuela’s cash starved oil industry and ease the shortage of trained workers.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Oil prices jumped more than 7% at one point on Tuesday, as the US and UK announced plans to ban Russian oil. The price of Brent crude, an international benchmark, is now hovering at around $130 (£99) a barrel – and many analysts expect prices to head higher.

The US and UK import relatively little from Russia compared to Europe. But the war in Ukraine has already shaken markets, making it difficult for tankers to get through, raising investor jitters and prompting firms to "self-sanction".

“If people can avoid buying Russian oil, they’re doing that,” says Caroline Bain, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics.

In the US, Americans are now paying an average of $4.17 per gallon – the highest on record, according to motor association AAA. UK fuel prices are also hitting records.

Analysts say both the US and UK should be able to find alternate sources of supply, but that won’t necessarily provide price relief anytime soon, given the uncertainty in the market and pressure on Europe to make a similar move.

A complete ban on Russian energy products would have enormous impact. Capital Economics estimates it would prompt Russia’s economy to contract by 25%, while causing inflation in Europe to double.

And while oil markets are no stranger to temporary price spikes, this one is unlikely to fade quickly, warns Bain.

“Russia has proved itself an unreliable energy partner,” she says. “Even if there’s a ceasefire, even if the situation normalises, it’s set in motion plans to reduce reliance on Russian energy exports.”

Image source, EPA

Ukraine's military has just released its latest "operational information" effective at 24:00 local time (22:00 GMT) 8 March, giving its summary of Day 13 of the Russian invasion.

In the past 24 hours, "the enemy slowed the pace of its offensive operation, resorting primarily to missile and bomb strikes on civilian infrastructure", the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement.

It said Russia was continuing to focus on encircling and seizing the cities of Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Mykolayiv and Chernihiv, and also on creating a land corridor between Russia and the annexed Crimea Peninsula.

It said the Russian army continued to suffer significant losses and was also trying to boost fuel supplies by setting up a "network of field pipelines".

The accuracy of the report has not been independently verified by the BBC.

Abdujalil Abdurasulov
BBC News, Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

Everyday, people in Mariupol gather and try to leave. But they can’t even get out from their neighbourhoods, because the shelling of the city continues.

Evgeniy Maloletka is a photographer with the Associated Press who is now in Mariupol, and he says that the situation is getting worse.

“The city is under the blockade. People are scared. They try to leave but they can’t," he says.

"Basements are full with people and children. They [Russian forces] continue randomly shelling the city. They use grad missiles, artillery - everything. Fighter jets also bomb the city."

All communications in the city are down except one tiny spot that has become a window to the outside world.

People are running out of food, too, and there is no electricity or gas. Many collect snow to get water. Most shops have been looted.

People are getting more desperate with each passing day. And they don’t know when this will all end.

Image source, Getty Images

US defence department spokesman John Kirby has rejected Poland's surprise offer to hand over its military jet fleet to the US - rather than Ukraine.

"As we have said, the decision about whether to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is ultimately one for the Polish government," Kirby said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that "Poland's proposal shows just some of the complexities this issue presents".

"The prospect of fighter jets 'at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America' departing from a US/Nato base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire Nato alliance," he said.

"It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. We will continue to consult with Poland and our other Nato allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland's proposal is a tenable one."

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine's ruling Servant of the People party is proposing new security guarantees to protect its sovereignty.

"Nato is not ready to accept Ukraine for at least the next 15 years, and it has made this clear," a statement reads.

The party calls therefore for "a concrete agreement that can guarantee Ukraine's full security until Nato is ready to accept us".

The US and Turkey, as well as Ukraine's neighbours, are named as possible "guarantor states" that could take specific political, economic and military steps to protect Ukraine.

But the party says Russia too would need to sign on to the guarantees and "legally state that it recognises Ukrainian statehood".

"We will not even theoretically consider the possibility of reviewing or abandoning any pieces of our territory. It is unacceptable. Our Ukraine [includes] Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea."

Image source, Facebook/ Russian Center New York

The US has filed criminal charges against a US-Russian dual national who is accused of engaging in a decade-long Russian influence campaign based in New York City.

Elena Branson, 61, faces six charges over allegations that she failed to register as a foreign agent. The FBI agent in charge of the case says she worked with high-ranking Russian officials, including Putin himself, "to identify the next generation of American leaders, cultivate information channels, and shape US policy in favour of Russian objectives".

Prosecutors say Branson fled to Russia after being interviewed by the FBI in September 2020. She remains at large, and in October 2021 allegedly told a Russian state-owned TV station that she left because she thought she would be arrested.

"Particularly given current global events, the need to detect and hinder attempts at foreign influence is of critical importance," US District Attorney for Manhattan Damian Williams said in a statement announcing the charges on Tuesday.

Jessica Parker
Europe correspondent

The EU's announcement on phasing out reliance on Russian fossil fuels "well before 2030" risks being overshadowed by the outright, albeit differing, bans coming out of the US and UK.

The truth is this is harder for the EU - Russia’s been providing around 40% of the bloc’s gas and 27% of its crude oil.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that finding alternative sources couldn’t happen overnight.

But any reluctance within the EU may now meet renewed international pressure, with some member states also advocating a more bullish approach.

“We cannot pay for oil and gas with the blood of Ukraine," said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Monday.

All eyes are now on Versailles where EU leaders are due to meet for a summit on Thursday. Could they agree to go further?