Image source, Armed Forces of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters

Many people in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol have now run out of food for their children, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

They also say there's no water or heating in the city where more than 400,000 people have been under siege by Russian forces for more than a week.

The ICRC team in Mariupol says people there are now fighting each other for food, with some siphoning fuel from other people's cars.

All the shops and pharmacies have been looted and, with no gas supplies and the temperature at night expected to drop to -5C, it will be very difficult to keep warm. The ICRC team is warning that people are already getting sick.

Image source, Getty Images

An appeal by the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help thousands of Ukrainians affected by the conflict has raised £120 million in under a week.

But charities on the ground fear the crisis will require aid for another three years.

DEC Chairwoman Sue Inglish said the level of donations to the appeal is second only to the response to the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami that caused devastation in seven countries in 2004.

But she said donations of unnecessary items such as high-heel shoes were "holding back a mammoth volunteer effort" and urged people to donate cash rather than items.

Ukrainians are in dire need of food and water, a woman helping coordinate humanitarian support in Ukraine has told the BBC.

Christina Katrakis, an ambassador for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, says she and her team drive to Ukraine's border with Romania every day to get humanitarian aid and then distribute it to hotspots and cut-off cities, town and villages in Ukraine.

But she says much of the aid is not getting to the areas that are most cut off and affected by conflict because of the danger to those transporting it.

"The need is dire. The need for food, water, is at its highest, and also the need for protective gear because we have soldiers and territorial guards basically naked. They have no vest, no helmet, they have no night vision."

Image source, Reuters

Back to the issue of visas for Ukrainians wanting to flee to the UK, and Boris Johnson has been explaining why he is insisting on checks on people entering the country.

Some of those coming to the UK may still be armed, he said, and "perhaps not all of their identities are completely clear, their motivations completely clear."

He said more than 1,000 visas had been issued, and the number would climb "very steeply".

Johnson also warned that British military personnel going AWOL to fight in Ukraine would face a court martial.

He said many in the armed forces would sympathise with the "clear distinction" between "good and evil" in the situation in Ukraine, but there were clear laws in the UK.

Zhanna Bezpiatchuk
BBC Ukrainian Service reporter

Escaping Bucha meant a 17km (10.5-mile) trek for Dmytro, his sister, his mother and his two grandmothers aged 74 and 83. They were joined by two neighbours and a small dog.

As shells exploded nearby, they had to throw themselves on the ground at least 20 times.

Not long after they had left, his grandmother could walk no more and he and his sister had to drag her for much of the way under fire.

"My granny begged us to leave her behind. She didn't want to be a burden for us but we didn't drop our loved ones."

They eventually reached safety near Kyiv in what the family says is a miracle.

"On our way out of Bucha I saw bodies lying on the ground all over the place. I saw people going crazy in front of their burning houses. I saw entire apartment blocks torn out of the soil. It was appalling."

Read more about the situation in Bucha, which is north-west of Kyiv and encircled by Russian forces, in Zhanna Bezpiatchuk's full report.

Image source, Sergei Orlov

The deputy mayor of the besieged southern port of Mariupol says he doesn’t know how many people have been killed in total in the city, but the most recent figure is 1,207.

These are “just bodies that we collected on the street”, Serhiy Orlov told the BBC.

He said that 47 people had been buried in a mass grave as it was not possible to reach burial sites outside the city. “Not all of them were identified,” he added.

Orlov said it has not been possible to evacuate people from the city or bring in aid. About 100 people trying to flee in private cars had to turn back on Wednesday, he said, after Russian forces at a checkpoint started to shoot “not directly into the cars, but around the cars”.

More from that televised meeting chaired by Russia president Vladimir Putin.

He says the Russian government can take over the assets of foreign companies pulling out of Russia.

He says Russia can "introduce external management" of those businesses closing their production facilities, and then "hand these enterprises to those who are willing to work."

"We'll find a legal way to do this," he says.

We're just listening to Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, on Russian state TV.

He's talking about countries taking "unfriendly steps" against Russia and its economy - referring to sanctions placed on it by the West. (You can read all about them here)

He says demand is growing for certain things but he's in no doubt these problems will be resolved - "people will understand that there is simply nothing that we cannot resolve".

He then points the finger at the West, saying they've been "calling on their citizens to tighten their belts and put on some warm clothes" - and blaming the sanctions for the situation getting worse. "It's all looking very strange," he says.

He goes on to insist Russia is meeting its obligations on energy supplies and is not to blame for price rises.

"It's the result of their own miscalculations - don't blame us."

Jessica Parker
Europe correspondent

A warm spring sun is beaming down on Versailles as TV journalists line up on a platform to tell people about today’s EU summit.

The beautiful weather and grand setting feels very at odds with the dark events unfolding in the east of Europe.

Nevertheless, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is what will dominate discussions here.

There are many elements to unpick - whether it’s Europe’s addiction to Russian oil and gas, Ukraine’s application to join the EU, or the West’s "awakening" on defence spending.

Also, in the last couple of weeks, EU members signed up to sanctions at record speed - alongside some profound shifts in foreign and defence policy.

The pace has now slowed and the unprecedented level of unity looks hard to sustain. While some member states are prepared to keep their foot on the accelerator of change, others feel it’s time to come up for some air.

Image source, EPA

Half the population of Ukraine's capital Kyiv have fled since the invasion began, its mayor Vitali Klitschko says, as Russian forces move ever closer to the city.

Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing champion, says: "Kyiv has been transformed into a fortress. Every street, every building, every checkpoint has been fortified."

Just under two million people, from the city's population of around three million, have left, he says.

Russian forces are believed to have rolled their armoured vehicles up to the north-eastern edge of the city today. Overnight, there was heavy fighting for control of the main road into the city.

Western officials, meanwhile, are warning of "unprecedented movements of people" fleeing Ukraine, saying the number of refugees could hit four million within the coming days.

The International Red Cross has described harrowing conditions in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

There are reports that food and water supplies are reaching dangerously low levels, says Sasha Volkov, the organisation's delegation head in the city.

In an audio message recorded on Wednesday, Volkov says many families have run out of food to feed their children.

In some areas the situation is so dire that people have "started to attack each other for food", Volkov says.

He adds that while "some sort of a black market with vegetables" has emerged in Mariupol, "but you can’t find meat or something like this".

Medicine supplies are also running low, and Volkov says the city's pharmacies "were looted four to five days ago", though some hospitals continue to function.

"We have started to get sick, many of us, because of the humidity and cold that we have," Volkov says.

"People report varying needs in medicine. Especially for diabetes and cancer patients. But there is no way to find it any more in the city."

Image source, Sergei Orlov

Gerhard Schröder, the former German leader, is visiting Moscow today for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Politico reports.

He's visiting with the intention of holding mediation talks with Putin in order to end the war in Ukraine, Politico says, referring to "sources familiar with the matter".

Image source, PA

Chelsea Football Club has responded after its owner, billionaire Roman Abramovich, was among seven new oligarchs sanctioned by the UK government today.

As part of the sanctions against Abramovich, Chelsea FC cannot sell any more tickets for games, its merchandise shop will be closed, and it will be unable to buy or sell players on the transfer market.

However, the government has said it will issue a special licence that allows fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches.

In a statement,, external Chelsea FC said it would fulfil its men’s and women’s teams matches today against Norwich and West Ham, respectively.

The club said it intended to engage in discussions with the government regarding the scope of the licence.

The club said this will include seeking permission for the licence to be amended in order to allow it to operate as "normal as possible".

"We will also be seeking guidance from the UK government on the impact of these measures on the Chelsea Foundation and its important work in our communities."

Follow the latest developments on this story here.

If you're just joining us, or want a recap of what's been happening, here's a round-up of today's latest developments:

• Little progress has been made during peace talks between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers in Turkey
• Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba says the two ministers agreed to work on humanitarian issues, but says his country will never surrender. His Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, says the country's operation in Ukraine is going to plan
• Ukraine is opening "seven humanitarian corridors" to help civilians leave cities besieged by Russian forces, including Mariupol, says the country's deputy PM
• Mariupol is said to be experiencing the worst humanitarian conditions in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. Residents have been trapped for days in freezing temperatures without electricity or water
• In the UK, the government has imposed financial sanctions on Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich. His assets - which include the club - have been frozen. But the club will be able to continue playing under a special license
• The UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced Ukrainian passport holders will be able to apply online for a UK refugee visa
• And in the business world, Uniqlo has become the latest global brand to suspend its operations in Russia

President Volodymyr Zelensky has been delivering an address urging Ukraine's partners around the world to deliver solutions based in reality - not on abstract opinions.

He says leaders are getting together to discuss the war and Ukraine's membership of Nato - and makes the point that he knows which of those leaders are supporting Ukraine.

On the war, he says Ukrainian men and women are defending their state for the fifteenth day - and have been repelling attacks in key areas.

He confirms three people, including one child, were killed in the Mariupol maternity hospital bombing and says Russia's claim that there were no patients in the hospital is a lie.

The Russians have created a "humanitarian catastrophe", he says, adding: "My heart is broken by what the occupiers have done to our cities, to our state."

He says Russia wants to humiliate the Ukrainian people and "make them kneel and take bread and water from their hands".

Zelensky adds: "We did not become slaves and we never will - because this is our spirit and this is our destiny."

Looking ahead, he says that after the war, everything will be rebuilt to the highest standard, and planning by the government is already under way. "There will be no trace left of the Russian invasion."

Image source, PA

As we reported earlier, Roman Abramovich is one of another seven Russian oligarchs to be sanctioned today by the UK government in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The 55-year-old is one of the most high-profile Russian billionaires because of the success of his football club Chelsea FC - but he first made his fortune in the 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union.

One of the original oligarchs during Boris Yeltsin's presidency of Russia, his biggest break was buying the oil company Sibneft at a knockdown price.

Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, transforming its fortunes and significantly raising the bar for how much finance was needed to compete at the top of the Premier League.

But earlier this month, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he announced he was selling the club. The UK government has now said that sale is on hold.

Abramovich is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he has denied.

The government says Abramovich, who has an estimated net worth of £9.4bn, is "one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin".

Yalda Hakim
BBC World News presenter

The imposing Art Palace in central Lviv was, just two weeks ago, holding events and planning gala dinners.

Now it’s a base for aid to come in, and be given out, the largest of its kind in the city. Its halls and lobbies are full of piles of food, clothes, nappies, even pet food.

These supplies have come across the border from Poland, where deliveries are arriving in a steady stream from around Europe.

Running around inside the palace are hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers, working 24 hours a day. Outside, groups of displaced Ukrainians, most of them with young children, queue up to get the most vital necessities.

They fill in a form of what they need and a volunteer will rush around the building collecting it for them.

Buses pull up, from Kharkiv, Mariupol, Irpin. Every spare inch of space gets filled up before they turn around and make the treacherous journey back to those in really dire need.

These convoys are coming under direct attack daily, but such is the desperation of those waiting that it’s a risk they have to take.

Volunteer Mila Hadzieva tells me the centre is crying out for drivers as most Ukrainian men have had no choice but to enlist to fight.

BBC Monitoring

Image source, EPA

After peace talks held in Turkey between Ukraine and Russia’s foreign ministers failed to bring about any changes, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says the talks were nevertheless “an important start”.

According to Turkey’s Haberturk news channel, Cavusoglu said "miracles should not be expected in one meeting”.

Today's discussions were the first high-level contact between the two countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

"Despite all the difficulties, I can say that a civilised meeting took place," Cavusoglu said. "We emphasised that humanitarian corridors should be kept open without encountering any obstacles.”

Turkey has tried to hold a neutral position in the conflict as it has strategic ties with both Ukraine and Russia. Officials have strongly criticised Russia's invasion but dismissed imposing sanctions.

Image source, Reuters

US Vice President Kamala Harris is in Poland for talks with President Andrzej Duda.

At a press conference, she says the US is prepared to defend every inch of Nato territory - and its commitment to article 5 is iron clad - this is the principle that an attack on one member of Nato is an attack on all members.

She announced that a US delivery of patriot systems had been made to Poland and the US would make a donation to the UN's World Food Programme.

Of the Ukraine people, she said they have suffered immensely and what is happening to them is a moral outrage that has compelled the US to give humanitarian and security assistance.

Ukrainians with passports will be able to apply for UK visas entirely online from Tuesday, Priti Patel has announced.

The home secretary said they will not have to visit a visa application centre and can give their biometric data in the UK, meaning centres can be reserved for the most complex cases and those without passports.

The changes have been agreed following advice from the security services, the Patel added.