Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Nato senior military officials say President Putin has clearly not achieved his military goals in Ukraine so far and "probably will not at the end of the day".

But they added that Russian forces still had the capacity to do "a lot of damage".

The defence officials said that while Russian forces had made gains in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, they had still failed to encircle Kyiv - which they said Russia had expected to do in a matter of days.

An expected Russian amphibious assault in the south near Odessa had also, so far, failed to materialise.

The Nato officials believe that Russia's original military plan had included taking all of Ukraine's Black Sea coast - right up to Moldova.

They assessed that Russia's invasion force was suffering from a lack of fuel and food as well as suffering losses. They said that President Putin was already looking for reinforcements.

One official said it was "highly likely" that would involve bringing in foreign fighters from Syria and private military contractors - such as the Wagner group - to Ukraine.

Another official added that Russia's military reserves "were not a secret weapon". He said that calling on reserve forces was "scratching the bottom of the barrel".

Nato officials say that allies and member states are continuing to send weapons to Ukraine. They said that included old Soviet weaponry, which Ukrainian forces would have been trained to use, as well as Western supplied anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine is now connected to the main European grid for electricity, helping it to combat the widespread power outages caused by Russian attacks.

Power is flowing from Ukraine to the EU and vice versa, via the Continental European Grid, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on Twitter, external.

Zelensky said he was grateful to the senior EU officials who made the change happen.

EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said, external the move would "keep lights on and houses warm in these dark times".

"In this area, Ukraine is now part of Europe," EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said, external.

Moldova, which borders Ukraine, has also had its electricity synchronised with the European grid.

Image source, Reuters

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said the West will not succeed in what he called its attempt to achieve global dominance and dismember Russia, Reuters reports.

Putin has been speaking in a televised government meeting this morning, saying that if the West thinks Russia will step back then it does not understand Russia.

He also spoke about the sanctions designed to hit Russia's economy - but said the central bank does not need to print money and the country has enough financial resources.

"Our economy and business have all necessary resources to meet all the goals set, challenges should only mobilise us," he said.

Reality Check

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss this morning told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “We’ve frozen the assets of 10 major Russian banks. So far the EU has only frozen three and we encourage them to do more.”

She is correct that the UK has frozen the assets of 10 banks and the EU has managed three.

But the difference could be explained by there being more Russian assets in London.

"London is, by a very long distance, the preeminent global financial centre for international money (and more so for Russian money) and so inevitably this means that the UK must lead the way because there is more money here than anywhere else," Tom Keatinge, director of the centre for financial crime and security studies at the think-tank RUSI, told Reality Check.

Here's what has been happening today - three weeks since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invoked 9/11 as he once again called for a no-fly zone in an address to the US congress - which received a standing ovation
• US President Joe Biden is expected to announce $800m (£612m) of military aid following Zelensky's address
• Fighting has continued with two people injured in Kyiv after two high-rise residential buildings were hit by shells this morning
• In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, two people died after shells hit an apartment block, emergency services said
• Ukrainian officials claim to have killed a fourth Russian general since the invasion began, although this has not been verified
• Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak has told local media any peace deal must protect the country's sovereignty and has rejected the idea of "Austrian-style" neutrality
• It comes after the Kremlin said Russia was open to a peace deal which saw a neutral Ukraine maintain its own army.

Image source, Getty Images

As we reported a short while ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky played a graphic video montage of Ukraine before and after the war.

Congressman Michael McCaul, who sat in the audience for the speech, tells CNN that the footage stirred up a lot of emotion in the room.

"A lot of the members, many that you'd be surprised by, were in tears watching that because it looked like Nazi Germany to me, very reminiscent of that," he said.

McCaul is among a host of Republican lawmakers pushing the Biden administration to prioritise sending Ukrainian forces more lethal aid, including Javelin and Stinger missiles requested by Kyiv.

"History will judge us," McCaul said.

More now on reports that 10 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the northern city of Chernihiv while waiting in a queue for bread.

Local media in the city have reported that the residents were killed by Russian shelling, citing one eye-witness who said the attack took place on Wednesday morning at around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT).

The BBC cannot independently verify this report, but we have confirmed that the residents were killed at a location in north-east of the city.

Andrew Titok, a producer with the local media company that first reported that killings, told the BBC the attack had likely come from "heavy artillery".

"Our correspondent lives in that area. She went out to get bread. When she got there, she saw at least 10 dead. She filmed it," Titok said.

He continued: "It's almost impossible to get any comment from local authorities or from hospitals, so we don't know about the number of injured."

"In the blocked areas of Chernihiv, it became common practice for people to get food supplies like bread and wait in queues," he added.

Image source, Getty Images

In his virtual address to the US Congress a short while ago, President Zelensky thanked lawmakers for their support as he called for more assistance in the coming weeks.

Let's take a look at how the US has helped Ukraine so far:

• The US released about $350m (£267m) in arms at the beginning of the conflict. Weapons shipments to Ukraine over the past year - three in total - are worth more than $1bn
• Later on Tuesday, President Biden will commit another $800m (£611m) toward a fresh round of military aid, including anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft systems
• The latest tranche comes from a $13.6bn (£10.4bn) package of humanitarian, security and economic assistance approved last week for Ukraine by Congress
• The US Agency for International Development (USAID), an independent federal agency, has provided more than $100m (£76m) in humanitarian aid and critical relief supplies

Much of the Ukrainian president's virtual address to the US Congress was delivered in Ukrainian.

But in closing, Volodymyr Zelensky made a direct plea - in English - to US President Joe Biden.

"You are the leader of your nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace," he said.

Image source, Olga

The BBC has been speaking to people in the southern port city of Kherson which was captured by the Russians earlier this month.

"Russian soldiers, invaders, are everywhere," says one of the people who spoke to us, called Olga. "Kherson is occupied.

"No one can leave the city or go in the city because they kill just ordinary people. They kill innocent people. Civilians who tried to leave the city were killed.

"Russian soldiers have a list of our famous people in the city and they just find where they live. They go there, find them and they also kill them."

Olga - who didn't want us to use her second name - claims that people who have protested have been rounded up and killed. The BBC cannot independently verify these claims.

She also says there is a shortage of food and medicine, and also problems with gas, electricity, heating and communications.

13:35 17/03/2022 - This post was updated to clarify that the BBC has not independently verified Olga's claims.

Image source, Getty Images

A major German media company has published video footage, external of what it says is evidence of Russian troops opening fire on an unarmed Ukrainian civilian near the capital city of Kyiv.

ZDF Heute, one of Germany's largest broadcasters, obtained the drone footage. It appears to show an unarmed civilian exiting his car on a road a few kilometres west of the capital, before being shot by Russian troops in positions off screen.

In the following scene, several Russian soldiers emerge and surround the man's body, which lies motionless on the highway.

The BBC cannot independently verify the video and Russia has yet to comment on the allegations.

ZDF Heute says the man's car was subsequently towed away by Moscow's forces. The company says the Russian troops can be identified by white markings on their uniforms, easily visible in the footage.

ZDF Heute also says that it has tracked down the owner of the footage and verified the veracity of the images.

The allegations come as Russian troops were accused of shooting dead 10 civilians in the eastern city of Chernihiv.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

Volodymyr Zelensky again demonstrated he has a firm grasp on how to plead his nation’s case to a foreign audience in a language they can understand – both literally and figuratively.

Speaking to the British Parliament last week, the Ukrainian president referenced Winston Churchill. In his video address to Congress, Zelensky compared his nation’s daily aerial bombardment to Pearl Harbour and September 11.

He also mentioned the carvings of US presidents at Mount Rushmore and Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech – saying that his nation has a “need” for more US assistance.

He was practical, acknowledging that a no-fly zone over Ukraine may be too much for the US to stomach and instead focusing his request on jet fighters and more advanced air defence systems, as well as more powerful economic sanctions.

The American public has been transfixed by video footage of the Russian onslaught, and Zelensky used sometimes graphic images of dead and injured children and bombed cities to drive home his request to “close the skies” to Russian attacks.

Then the former actor made one final gesture of theatrical flair, ending his speech in English, framing the fight in Ukraine as a battle for the values of Europe and the world.

When the stakes are framed this way, Zelensky may hope, it will be difficult for the US and its allies to say no.

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross - who's arrived in Kyiv for a five day visit to Ukraine - says people there are "crying out for help".

In a tweet and video posted to social media, Peter Maurer says the charity needs better access to civilians caught up in the war.

"Needs are massive, conditions volatile. We are sparing no effort to answer their call," he says.

And he adds, the Red Cross is especially worried about what it's described as the "waking nightmare" in the port city of Mariupol, where it's unable to deliver aid and tens of thousands of people are still trapped.

"I hope that we can increase our assistance work in the country," Maurer says - adding that he wants the charity to be allowed to do more to evacuate people, and on "the issue of prisoners, of detainees but also of dead bodies".

At least 21 babies born through surrogacy are stuck in a bomb shelter nursery in Kyiv.

They're waiting for their biological parents, who live abroad, to take them home.

But the war has made the journey into the capital too risky.

President Zelensky closes his address with a direct plea to President Biden.

"Peace in your country no longer depends only on you and your people," he says.

"It depends on those next to you, on those who are strong."

"Strong doesn't mean big. Strong is brave and ready to fight for the life of his citizens and citizens of the world," Zelensky continues.

He says his people are "fighting for the values of Europe and the world" as well as their own.

Becoming emotional, the 45-year-old says he sees "no sense in life" if he cannot prevent the death of more Ukrainian children and it is his biggest concern as the country's leader.

"President Biden, you are the leader of your nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means being the leader of peace."

Today marks 21 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

As part of his speech to the US Congress, President Volodymyr Zelensky has just played a stirring video that overlays footage from peacetime Ukraine with footage of the past three weeks.

With a violin playing in the backdrop, the footage includes the text: 'This is a murder'.

Continuing his call for sanctions, Zelensky calls on members of Congress to pressure businesses in their district to pull out of Russia.

"Peace is more important than income," he says.

Ukraine's president says his country is grateful for US support in the war so far.

Volodymyr Zelensky also credits US President Joe Biden's "personal involvement" in the provision of aid and assistance.

But he calls on Congress to do more and issue more sanctions "until the Russian military machine stops".

He suggests sanctioning all politicians in the Russian Federation.

"All American companies must leave the Russian market immediately because it is flooded with our blood," he adds, urging lawmakers to pile pressure on firms that remain.

Zelensky says Ukraine is asking for a reply to this "terror" from Russian air attacks and asks for a no-fly zone to be imposed.

"Is this too much to ask?" he says. He says if it is, he asks for the defence system he needs against air attacks.

He asks for aircraft to protect Ukraine's freedom.

Nato members have so far refused to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, arguing that it would risk an escalation with Russia.

You can read more here: No-fly zone: What it means and why the West won't act

Russia has not simply attacked my country, says President Zelensky.

"It went on a brutal offensive against our values," he says.

He harks back to World War Two and 11 September 2001, "when innocent people were attacked".

"Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands," he tells Congress.