Image source, Reuters

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced that a US government assessment has concluded that "members of Russia's forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine.

"We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centres, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded," he added.

Beth Van Schaack, of the State Department's Office of Global Criminal Justice, said the conclusion had been reached through "a careful review of currently available information, both public and from intelligence source".

Image source, Andalou Agency / Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

A US embassy official has been able to visit basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been in Russian detention for over a month.

She was found to be in "good condition", a State Department spokesman said.

The 31-year-old has been held in Moscow since February when customs officials allegedly found cannabis oil in her luggage. She could face a sentence of up to 10 years if convicted.

Last week the state news agency Tass reported that a Moscow court had ruled that Griner could be held until at least 19 May.

The double Olympic gold medallist had gone to Russia to play during the US league's off-season.

While there is no indication that Ms Griner's arrest was connected to the invasion of Ukraine, some US officials have indicated strained US-Russian relations may jeopardise her safe return.

Read more here.

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

Western officials have said the fact that a senior Russian official has resigned and left the country is "encouraging" and "significant". But they said it would not undermine President Putin’s regime.

Anatoly Chubais has stepped down as Vladimir Putin’s international envoy and is reportedly in Turkey with his wife.

Reuters reported that he had resigned because of the war in Ukraine.

Chubais was not seen as a member of President Putin's inner circle but he has been at the top of Russian politics since he served as Boris Yeltsin's chief of staff.

One Western official said they were aware of his defection which they described as "a significant statement" by a representative of Putin's administration.

"It is encouraging that senior members of Russia's political class are doing such things, but it doesn't lead me to conclude that this is undermining the security of Putin's regime and the iron grip he has on those at the centre of his power," the official said.

Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News

A Russian lieutenant colonel has been captured by Ukrainian forces, a Western official has confirmed.

Ukraine has conducted "limited counter attacks", they said, which had led to the destruction of Russian equipment and capture of some Russian personnel.

"In the area in which he was captured, there was a significant amount of electronic warfare equipment. It's unclear whether he was personally connected with that, but it's something we're looking into currently," the western official said.

Overall, six Russian generals are now thought to have been killed, the most senior is a lieutenant general who was commander of the 8th Combined Arms Army. All six will have been replaced, they say.

The official said it was 'remarkable' that Hostomel airport was still being fought over when it was a Day One objective for Russian forces.

They still expect Russian forces to try and edge towards the capital bringing more artillery into range. But Ukrainian forces are doing "well", they say, to take small towns back from Russian forces. In coming days, they expect a focus more on Russian forces manoeuvring in the east of the country.

Russia has been frustrated in its plan to move on three axes simultaneously and may focus more on the east. A concern is that if the Russian forces make breakthroughs, they could surround the main Ukrainian fighting force, the JFO, in the east, the official said.

"The Ukrainian forces there are strong, but they do have a challenge that they potentially have forces coming at them in three directions. This is probably the area where we have the greatest concern," they said.

Reality Check

Image source, Reuters

The UK has introduced two schemes in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis - the family visa scheme and the sponsorship scheme.

The family visa scheme , externalis for Ukrainians who have an immediate or extended family member in the UK who has British nationality, indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence.

It was launched earlier this month, and has been extended after criticism that it excluded some family members.

The "Homes for Ukraine" , externalscheme lets people in the UK host Ukrainians who are known to them, but who do not have family ties here.

Under the scheme, people are asked to offer Ukrainians a rent-free space in their home or a separate residence for at least six months.

It was launched on 14 March, and more than 100,000 people and organisations signed up within the first day.

• Read more on how the UK government is helping Ukrainians

Image source, HELENA SUSHYTSKA

A UK couple are preparing to drive to Poland to pick up a pregnant Ukrainian refugee so she can stay in their spare room.

Peter O'Keefe and Belinda Harvey, who live near Winchester, have offered to help Ksenia, from Kharkiv, who is seven months pregnant.

Ksenia, 25, whose husband remains in Ukraine, is expected in Warsaw next week once her visa comes through.

Belinda said the decision to host her came about by accident: "There's another Belinda in the village and they were arranging a meeting. I got copied into an email with the details about this refugee and we just thought 'why not'."

You can read more about their story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Nato leaders are expected to approve major increases in its forces in eastern Europe to counter Russia's invasion of Ukraine at a special summit tomorrow.

The military alliance has 30 members who've agreed to come to one another's aid in the event of an armed attack against any one member state.

Although Nato originally offered Ukraine eventual membership back in 2008, this hasn't happened, mainly because of Russia's long-standing opposition to such a move.

As a result, several Nato nations have been sending weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russia.

Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said leaders would agree to send four new battlegroups to Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, doubling the alliance's presence in the region.

Read more about Nato here.

Image source, Reuters

Almost all of the town of Irpin, which has seen fierce fighting in recent weeks, is in Ukrainian hands, the mayor of Kyiv has said.

Earlier in March, thousands of residents fled Irpin, which is just 20km (12 miles) north-west of Kyiv, across the remnants of a blown-up bridge as Russian artillery and air strikes pummelled the area.

Vitali Klitschko told journalists Ukrainian forces had pushed back troops there and also in the town of Makariv, west of Kyiv.

He said Ukrainian forces had "destroyed the plan to make a circle around Kyiv".

The former boxer also said there were attacks taking place to the north and east of the city. When asked by the BBC's Lyse Doucet about explosions that appeared to be coming nearer to the city centre, he said: "They will never come to Kyiv."

He dismissed as "propaganda" Russian claims that a shopping centre bombed on Monday earlier this week was being used as a weapons store.

As we have been reporting, Ukrainian troops have been counter-attacking Russian forces in some areas of the country, including the small southern town of Voznesensk, where Russian forces were pushed back and an armoured convoy destroyed, and in Kherson, close to the Crimean peninsula.

Image source, Reuters

Nato reflects concern of eastern memberspublished at 16:35 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2022

16:35 GMT 23 March 2022

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

The expected decision by Nato to increase its forces in eastern Europe shows the alliance still does not feel it has done enough to shore up its eastern flank.

This reflects concerns in the Baltic and other states that the threat from Russia - and the prospect of the conflict spreading - remain real.

The promise of more support for Ukraine also reflects concerns within the alliance that the country could be at risk of running out of munitions and could face new threats if Russia were to escalate and use new weapons.

The problem is that Nato arsenals are not bottomless and some countries may struggle to find enough anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to keep supplies flowing across the Polish border.

Western officials say they hadn't expected Ukraine to need so many battlefield weapons at this stage of the conflict, anticipating instead that the resistance would have become more of an insurgency.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's spoken with UK PM Boris Johnson and "received assurances of his support" ahead of tomorrow's emergency Nato summit in Brussels.

Zelensky tweeted, external they "discussed the course of hostilities and defence assistance to Ukraine".

As we reported earlier, Johnson told his Cabinet colleagues "the West should not hesitate to go further in strengthening sanctions and providing further defensive military aid to Ukraine".

Thursday's Nato summit in Brussels is expected to unlock additional aid for Kyiv, including equipment to help Ukraine protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Image source, Getty Images

Swiss food giant Nestle is pulling its popular brands, like KitKat and Nesquik, out of Russia.

The firm stopped investment in the country earlier this month and now it will only sell essential foods - infant food and medical and hospital nutrition.

It follows fierce criticism of the firm by Ukrainian politicians. On Saturday, President Zelenskiy criticised Nestle for still conducting business in Russia in a streamed speech to protesters.

A growing number of international brands, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Starbucks have halted business in Russia, due to the invasion of Ukraine.

A minority of others continue to produce non-essential goods in the country, while companies such as M&S and Burger King say complex franchise agreements make it impossible to close their shops in Russia.

Image source, EPA

Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky, addressing France's parliament via videolink, has appealed to French companies to quit Russia.

"Renault, Auchan, Leroy Merlin and others must stop sponsoring Russia's war machine.

"They must stop financing the murders of women and children," he told French MPs in comments reported by Le Monde.

Renault has been criticised in recent days after the carmaker restarted production at its Moscow plant.

The carmaker has decided to keep its presence intact in Russia, while complying with international sanctions, Reuters reported.

Image source, Reuters

Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Lviv

Lviv has become a byword for safety in Ukraine, with 200,000 refugees sheltering here and millions more passing through the city on their way out of Ukraine. The queue for trains to Poland still packs the underpass between platforms here.

But there are crowds these days for the trains heading east too. Those we spoke to - heading home to Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, even Kharkiv - all said the same thing: it’s too hard being apart from family - whatever happens to us there, it’s better we face it together.

Outside carriage 13, Olga hesitated on the platform, waiting until the last moment to board the 14:05 train out of Lviv back towards the conflict zones of eastern Ukraine.

Behind her, police loaded body armour plates onto the train. Two soldiers heaved in a generator.

"I'm scared to go back," Olga told me. "It isn’t safe. But my husband is there, and people need my help."

Olga is a history teacher from Zaporizhzhia. A third of the city's children have already left and her school has now become a centre for refugees from the besieged city of Mariupol.

Olga came to Lviv to drop her daughter and granddaughter at the Polish border — leaving her confronted with a choice: enjoy safety with one part of her family, or head back to face danger with the other.

"We never thought our family would be divided," she said, with tears in her eyes.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, here's a quick recap of some of the latest developments on day 28 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine:

• The secretary-general of Nato says the military alliance will approve major increases in the forces deployed on its eastern flank of Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania

• Ukrainian troops are counter-attacking Russian forces in some areas of the country, with reports that they have gained ground to the west of the capital, Kyiv
• A US defence spokesman said Ukrainians were also reversing momentum in some parts of the south
• But Russian forces are continuing to bombard the southern port city of Mariupol, where residents have run out of water and food and an estimated 90% of the city's buildings have been damaged or destroyed

• An international envoy for Russia's President Putin, Anatoly Chubais, has stepped down from his role - the most senior official to resign since the invasion began
• And Poland says it's expelling 45 Russian diplomats after accusing them of using their status as a cover to gather intelligence

Image source, EPA

A former defence attaché at the British embassy in Moscow says that his warnings of "a long, dark march to war" by Vladimir Putin were ignored.

Air Commodore Carl Scott, now retired, writes in a letter to the Financial Times, external that he and his colleagues "reported the inevitability of conflict in detail, regularly and with the despair of Cassandra".

The former senior officer alleges that in the years he served in Moscow (2011-16), in the UK things changed and "all was subjugated to the City, all served the interests of our lucrative status as a safe haven for corrupt, and corrupting, wealth".

Image source, Reuters

A veteran Russian economic reformer turned envoy for President Putin, Anatoly Chubais, has resigned from his role.

Tasked with working with international organisations on sustainable development, he is the highest-profile official to step down since the war in Ukraine began.

Chubais quit because of the conflict in Ukraine, Bloomberg and Reuters cited sources close to him as saying.

He has left Russia and has no intention of returning, a source told Reuters.

He has decades of high-level political and business experience in Russia, and is seen as the main architect of Russian privatisation in the 1990s under former President Boris Yeltsin.

He recommended Mr Putin, an ex-KGB officer, for his first job in the Kremlin.

Chubais later become head of the Russian nanotechnology company Rusnano, until he was appointed to the envoy post in 2020.

• Read more on this story here

Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent, Kyiv

Image source, Maxar

Every morning, for weeks, Ukraine has announced that humanitarian corridors will open into a number of cities to bring in desperately needed supplies, and bring out civilians trapped by the fighting.

But by the end of each day, it’s a story of ceasefires which break in some places, of channels blocked by Russian bombardment.

And now the besieged southern city of Mariupol isn’t even included on this list – a place where shelling never stops, and residents have run out of water and food.

Russia offered a way out this week – but only if the city surrendered.

In some parts of Ukraine, including around the capital Kyiv, Ukrainian forces are now recapturing areas.

But Russia is still attacking on frontlines, especially in the south where it wants to seize a land corridor between the Crimean Peninsula and eastern Ukraine, areas it’s controlled since 2014.

Toby Luckhurst
BBC News, Krakow

Krakow is Poland's second largest city and a major entry point for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

At the main train station, blue and yellow signs in Ukrainian and Polish point refugees outside to the main square.

"They're just piling in every day," British volunteer Millie tells me - and some of them are badly injured. She came here eight days ago to help the Krakow council give out food, clothing and shelter to the millions who have arrived.

Millie says many don't want to travel on from Poland, preferring to stay close to the border. "They've got a lot of heart, they say things like, 'I'm going to go home next week,'" she says.

Her fellow volunteer Fiona only arrived two days ago with her partner Bob, trying to raise awareness about the Homes for Ukraine scheme to rehouse refugees in the UK. She says it's a great scheme in theory, but in practice it's difficult for people in the UK to find refugees to sponsor.

Already some two million people have come to Poland since the war began last month. While border officials say the numbers are slowing, authorities are struggling with the huge numbers who have already arrived.

Image source, .

Image source, Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow will begin insisting that payments for Russian gas from "unfriendly countries" are made in roubles.

He's given the Russian central bank a week to find a way of switching these payments away from other currencies.

He says the change will only affect payments and that gas will continue to be supplied in line with existing contracts. It's not clear what the impact of this decision will be.

Putin says the freeze on Russian assets by Western countries has destroyed trust and that his country's economy has been hit hard by sanctions imposed by the West over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Sanctions include a move to restrict Russian access to international payment systems.

• Read more: What sanctions are being imposed on Russia over Ukraine invasion?

Nato leaders will agree to the deployment of four new Nato battlegroups in eastern Europe - in Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania - Jens Stoltenberg said.

The Nato secretary general said this amounted to a big long-term increase in the military alliance's presence in the region, doubling the existing number of battlegroups.

US President Joe Biden has just departed from Washington en route to the Belgian capital, where he will attend a meeting with Nato allies to discuss the response to Russia's invasion.

Image source, Reuters