Image source, Luhansk regional military administration

Three people, two of them children, have been killed in an attack on a block of flats in the eastern town of Rubizhne, the head of the military authority in Luhansk says.

"The tragedy occurred in the evening, when the Russian army intensified shelling. A shell exploded on the fifth floor," said Serhiy Haidai, adding that fire broke out in a business and an education institution.

The Luhansk region is one of the Russian army's key targets as it tries to capture eastern areas that were not seized by Russian-backed separatists in the war that started in 2014.

At the weekend Haidai said more than 60 civilians had been killed in the region since the invasion began on 24 February.

One of the worst-hit towns is Severodonetsk and the regional military head said an evacuation corridor had been agreed both for that town and Rubizhne, but he warned people trying to leave of the danger of further shelling.

Ukraine changes the narrativepublished at 08:32 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2022

08:32 GMT 23 March 2022

James Waterhouse
Kyiv correspondent, BBC News

We're told by local authorities in Makariv, a town west of Kyiv, that Ukrainian flags are flying there once more.

There was a very patriotic video put out by the local police where they were driving around assessing damaged buildings.

And it's not just there, in the south we've seen Russian forces pushed back in Voznesensk by 100km (62 miles). We're told a combination of volunteers and Ukrainian troops destroyed a Russian armoured convoy there.

There are similar scenes in the port city of Kherson, where Ukrainians have been fighting back - and that was the first city to fall to invading forces.

It does feel like an against-the-grain narrative after days of more static fighting, more airstrikes, more artillery strikes.

But, as ever, the key city of Mariupol continues to be bombarded and struck from the air. We're now wondering what will be left of this port city.

Image source, Getty Images

Nine "humanitarian corridors" have been agreed to evacuate civilians trapped in Ukrainian towns and cities, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says.

But in a Facebook post, she says a safe passage from Mariupol has not been agreed with Russia.

She says she hopes that people wishing to leave the city can make it to nearby Berdyansk, where humanitarian aid such as medicines are waiting. She adds that 24 buses are on standby to transport people.

Some of the previous attempts to evacuate people from Mariupol have failed after Russian forces continued to shell the Ukrainian port city despite an agreed temporary ceasefire.

Wyre Davies
BBC News, Zaporizhzhia

A senior management figure of Mariupol Port, who escaped from the besieged city yesterday, has told the BBC that much of the city has been completely destroyed, but the port area remains largely intact.

The man, who doesn’t want to be publicly identified due to safety concerns, said that six foreign-flagged ships had been trapped in the harbour since the start of the war but “unlike the rest of the city, the port had suffered relatively little bombing".

Mariupol is the biggest port on the Sea of Azov and one of Ukraine’s biggest ports for the export of agricultural products. Its capture would be strategically important for Russia.

The Kremlin has consistently denied deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and buildings, like schools, hospitals and homes in Mariupol - many of which have been destroyed with large numbers of casualties.

But the fact the port area remains relatively unscathed may be an indication Russia values its strategic importance and has deliberately avoided targeting the port itself.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting here, Ukrainian forces are said to have taken back some territory in the south of the country.

Justin Bronk from the UK defence and security think tank the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), tells the BBC it's a strategy that could force Moscow to change its tactics.

"The Russians have quite visibly failed to take the whole of Ukraine across multiple positions of advance," he says. "So now they are trying to pull their resources back and consolidate them and concentrate them on one push at a time - in particular around Mariupol and the south."

He says if the Russians take Mariupol, which has been besieged for weeks and is getting low on supplies, then they may look to redistribute troops and ammunition, first to the Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and then perhaps to the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.

But, he says, as Ukraine pushes Russian troops back around Irpin and other suburbs along with Makariv to the west of Kyiv, it could hamper Moscow's plans to capture the capital.

"Essentially, what [Ukrainian forces] are trying to do is cut off an entire side of the attempted encirclement of Kyiv, which would force the Russians to either try to break north and abandon those positions, or for Russia to reroute significant combat power to try to break through and release their own forces there."

Image source, Getty Images

It's just after 07:30 in London and 09:30 in Ukraine. If you're just joining us, welcome. Here are some of the latest developments:

• Fierce fighting is continuing in the centre of the southern port city of Mariupol, which is under an intense Russian bombardment. The Ukrainian government says around 100,000 civilians are trapped there without food, water or heat
• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says that despite all the difficulties, 7,026 Mariupol residents were rescued on Tuesday
• Ukraine's military claims that Russian troops are "demoralised", and Russian officials are now attempting to recruit former soldiers to join their war effort
• Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons. In a CNN interview, Peskov said it could happen if the country was faced by an existential threat
• The US denounced the statement as reckless, with the Pentagon saying "it's not the way a responsible nuclear power should act"
• The Pentagon also says Ukrainian forces are succeeding in reclaiming ground from invading Russian troops, particularly in the south of the country

• On the diplomatic front, Zelensky has described talks with Russia as confrontational, but said that, step by step, they were moving forwards

And with that, this is Tessa Wong and Frances Mao in Singapore, and Sharanya Hrishikesh in Delhi, signing off. Our colleagues Becky Morton, Chris Giles and Mal Siret in London will continue to bring you the latest developments.

The UK Ministry of Defence's latest intelligence update says Russian troops are moving in from the north and south to "envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country". Troops were advancing from Kharkiv and Mariupol.

Meanwhile, the fighting in the north - aimed at capturing the capital Kyiv - remains "largely static", the ministry says.

"Russian forces [are] likely conducting a period of reorganisation before resuming large-scale offensive operations," the briefing note says, external.

Russia also appeared to be attempting to bypass Mykolaiv on its drive west to Odesa, the port city in the south-west.

Image source, Getty Images

Mariupol has been the target of sustained attacks by Russian forces because of its strategic position along Ukraine's southern border.

For weeks now, the city has been shelled near-indiscriminately. One Human Rights Watch report released on Monday described the city as a "freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings".

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has said about a quarter of the population - or 100,000 people - are still trapped in "inhumane conditions".

He described the horror endured by residents in his midnight address: "No food. No water. No medicine. Under constant shelling, under constant bombing."

These new satellite images from firm Maxar Technologies show the scale of the damage in the past day.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Zelensky also said Ukraine officials and allies were doing their best to get aid into the city and more civilians out, he said. On Tuesday, about 7,000 people managed to escape the city.

But those fleeing have also been attacked along the negotiated humanitarian corridors, he said.

On Tuesday one humanitarian convoy was captured by Russian troops, he claimed.

He said state emergency workers and bus drivers were taken prisoner.

"We are doing everything we can to free our people and unblock the movement of humanitarian aid," he said.

Hugo Bachega and Orysia Khimiak
BBC News in Lviv, Ukraine

Image source, Getty Images

Last Wednesday, a bomb hit a theatre in the port city of Mariupol, which was being razed to rubble by Russian shelling.

Hundreds of civilians, mostly women and children, were inside the building near the waterfront, hiding.

Mariia Rodionova, a 27-year-old teacher, had been living in the theatre for 10 days having fled her ninth-floor apartment with her two dogs. They camped next to the stage in an auditorium near the back of the building.

That morning she had got some fish scraps from an outdoor field kitchen to feed her dogs, but then realised they hadn't drunk any water. So at about 10:00, she tied her dogs to her luggage and made her way towards the main entrance where a queue was forming for hot water.

And then the bomb fell.

There was the sound of a clap, thunderous and loud. Then the sound of broken glass. A man came from behind and pushed her to a wall, protecting her with his own body.

The blast was so loud that she felt intense pain in one of her ears, so intense she thought her eardrum must have split. She only realised it hadn't because she could hear the screams of people. The screams were everywhere.

• Read more on this story here

The Ukrainian army has claimed in its morning update that Russia has resorted to getting former soldiers to join its war effort and make up for heavy losses.

Military officials have been actively recruiting former servicemen particularly “those who already have combat experience”, the Ukrainian military said in an operational update posted on Facebook, external.

It also claimed that Russian forces "in particular directions were demoralised", while Ukraine continues to hold the line in various parts of the country, including the eastern and southern regions. It added that it was conducting a “circular defence” in Mariupol - a strategic port city where over 100,000 residents are said to be trapped without access to food and medicines.

Western intelligence agencies have said that the Russian advance in Ukraine is continuing to stall, with troops digging in and reinforcing defensive positions. According to the latest assessment from the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces have not staged any large assaults this week.

The Ukrainian army also said there were active efforts to increase Russian and Belarussian military equipment along the Ukrainian border, but gave no details. Belarus is backing Russia in the war.

It added that it was verifying reports that in Belarus, opponents of the war had partially removed the railway connection between their country and Ukraine.

The BBC has not been able to verify these claims yet.

A Russian official has laid out their plans to connect the Crimea peninsula to the south-eastern Russian-occupied Donbas region "once the military takes control" of the key port city of Mariupol.

Kirill Stepanov is an adviser of Russia's Southern Federal District which includes Crimea - the Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014.

He told Russian news outlet RIA Novosti in recent hours that "taking control of the highway from Crimea to Mariupol... will reliably connect the peninsula with the Donbas by a transport corridor".

He added that this corridor and Crimea's land bridge would form a "transit territory" connecting the Caucusus region, the sea ports along the northern shores of the Black Sea, and the industrial centres of the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

This military goal has long been pointed to as the reason why Russia wants Mariupol so badly.

Russian forces have incessantly shelled the city for weeks. Civilians there have suffered one of the worst bombardments in the whole of Ukraine, and over 80% of homes are now damaged.

Ukraine has asked for help for the city, and has refused to surrender it to the Russians. It is their last holdout in that part of the country.

Read more: Why Mariupol is so key to Russia's plan

Image source, Getty Images

Czech activists held a peace rally in front of the National Theatre building in Prague on Tuesday night, paying tribute to those who were killed by Russian shelling in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Participants spelt out the word “children” in Russian with candles, a reference to similar signs seen at a bombed Mariupol theatre where hundreds had sought shelter. The death toll from the attack on the theatre is still unclear, but survivors told the BBC that they saw terrible and heartbreaking scenes.

For weeks, Mariupol has been under constant shelling by Russian forces, which have completely surrounded the port city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said there is "nothing left" of Mariupol, adding that 100,000 civilians are trapped without access to food, water or medicine.

Image source, Getty Images

There's been a wave of support for Ukraine in the Czech Republic, with thousands turning up at protests against Russia since the war began.

About 270,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered the country, and the Czech parliament has approved laws making it easier for the refugees to access work and health insurance.

But government officials have also expressed concerns on how they can continue to cope with the ongoing influx - a minister has said the country is “balancing on the edge of capacities where we are able to provide comfortable living conditions”.

The US and other Western nations are considering a move to potentially exclude Russia from the G20, Reuters has reported, citing sources.

The news agency also said that Poland on Tuesday had suggested to US officials that it replace Russia in the group, and that they received a "positive response".

The G20 is a grouping of the world's largest economies which aims to coordinate action on issues affecting the global economy, including climate change and development.

Such a push would add to the existing economic sanctions against Russia from the West. But it would also likely be vetoed by other key G20 nations- including China, India and Saudi Arabia, analysts suggest.

As a result, some predict that the G7 Western allies might instead boycott G20 meetings this year - something that Indonesia, the current chair of the club, has reportedly been warned about. Jakarta has declined to comment on the matter.

When asked about it on Tuesday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: "We believe it cannot be business as usual for Russia in international institutions and in the international community."

Russia also used to be part of the G7 - which was expanded to the G8 in the 2000s - to accommodate Moscow in friendlier times. But it was kicked out after it annexed Crimea in 2014.

Image source, Reuters

Russian troops occupying the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have "looted and destroyed" a laboratory at the site, Ukrainian officials claim.

The State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management said the Russians had damaged their Central Analytical Labratory - which processed a lot of radioactive waste.

The state agency said in a Facebook post, external that the laboratory had "highly active samples and samples of radionuclides, which today are in the hands of the enemy".

The lab, which cost about six million euros to set up, had also contained "valuable analytical equipment" that were not available elsewhere in Europe, the agency said.

Chernobyl - the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986 - is not a working power station but still requires constant management.

The Russians captured it in the first few days of the war last month, and had kept workers there for weeks before some were released.

The former nuclear site remains a great concern, and earlier this week Ukraine's parliament reported that forest fires had erupted in the vicinity of the plant, which were picked up in satellite images.

Image source, State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management

Jonathan Head
BBC News, Phuket

Money is the biggest problem confronting some 7,000 Russians now trapped in Thailand.

Since the sanctions have been imposed on Russia they have been unable to withdraw cash from ATM machines or use their credit cards.

Most do not want to speak to journalists, but one couple did agree, if we did not identify them.

They worried about repercussions back home, where even calling the events in Ukraine a war can result in prosecution.

"We were going from bank to bank, from ATM to ATM. Nine times out of 10 it was declined, but we managed to get some cash.

"There were some other means to get it, like Western Union or cryptocurrency, but it is closing every day. If something was working yesterday, it is not working today."

Read more:

The Russians trapped on a Thai island as war rages in Ukraine

If you're just joining us, welcome. Here is a recap of what's been happening in Ukraine.

• Putin's top spokesman refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons in an interview with CNN on Tuesday, saying they would only be used in the event of an "existential threat" to Russia
• The US Pentagon denounced the statement as reckless, saying "it's not the way a responsible nuclear power should act"
• The Russian advance continues to stall, according to Western intelligence agencies, as Putin's troops take up defensive positions in their effort to encircle large Ukrainian cities
• Around 100,000 residents of Mariupol remain trapped in the strategic southern port city that Russia has focused its efforts on capturing
• Around 7,000 Mariupol residents were rescued on Tuesday, President Zelensky said in his nightly Facebook address
• The US is expected to announce further sanctions on Moscow when President Biden travels to Brussels for talks with Nato and G7 leaders on Thursday
• Zelensky is expected to address the gathering via remote teleconference
• Ukrainian officials say he will use the opportunity to call for more air defence systems

And with that, this is Jude Sheerin and Max Matza signing off from the US. Our colleagues Tessa Wong and Frances Mao in Singapore will continue to bring you the latest developments.

Image source, Russian Defence Ministry

The Pentagon has condemned a Kremlin spokesman’s refusal earlier on Tuesday to rule out the use of nuclear weapons during the Ukraine conflict.

Dmitry Peskov told CNN International that such arms could be used if Russia faced an “existential threat”. Russia has the world's largest stockpile of nuclear warheads.

Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said Moscow's nuclear remarks were “dangerous”.

"It's not the way a responsible nuclear power should act," he told reporters.

But Kirby added that Pentagon officials "haven't seen anything that would lead us to conclude that we need to change our strategic deterrent posture”.

"We monitor this as best we can every day," he added.

Former US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also criticised Peskov’s comments.

“I don’t see how you can see it any other way but as dangerous when Russia is looking for a possible excuse for the use of low-yield nuclear weapons,” Panetta told CNN.

“And basing it frankly on a very false premise that somehow Russia is being threatened. I think that presents a real concern that Russia at least is considering that possibility.

“I don’t know that it’s going to happen. I still think that Putin has to worry about how the US would respond and he has to worry about his own survival.”

Putin put his country’s nuclear forces on special alert on 27 February, but Western defence officials said afterwards they had not seen any significant sign of Russia's strategic bombers, missiles and submarines being mobilised.

Sarah Rainsford
BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent

Kharkiv is just 40km from the Russian border. Most people there speak Russian as a first language, not Ukrainian, and have friends and relatives on the other side.

That's presumably why Vladimir Putin thought his troops could roll into Kharkiv and take over - or into Mariupol, Sumy or Kherson. But he misjudged the mood.

For much of the first three weeks of fighting, we were based 200km south of Kharkiv in Dnipro, a city that straddles the giant river which cuts Ukraine into east and west.

Dnipro was a haven of relative safety in the region as Russia attempted to bomb other cities into submission. But on 11 March we woke from a night of long air raid sirens to reports of a strike in the city centre.

We were soon standing beside the smouldering wreckage of a shoe factory where Russian missiles had killed a pensioner working as a security guard.

Sweeping shattered glass from the stairway of her nearby apartment block, Natasha broke down describing the terrified screams of her son. "What are they killing us with?" she cried, her hands covering her face.

A Russian-speaker, she demanded to know why Russia was doing this. "We didn't ask to be saved."

It was a statement I heard over and over again.

Read more:

A month in Ukraine: 'All normal life is gone'

Elon Musk's space company has reportedly sent "thousands" of Starlink dishes - which support the supply of internet - to Ukraine.

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told CNBC , externalthe kits were largely being funded by private sources.

The firm sent a lorry-full of Starlink dishes to Ukraine shortly after Russia invaded.

They have been installed in locations including a rooftop in the southern port of Odesa.

Although internet access in Ukraine is fairly good, it has reportedly deteriorated as the conflict worsens.

Read more about the use of Starlink here.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The White House will announce a plan to help some of Ukraine's most vulnerable refugees get to the US, according to NBC News, which reports that the announcement could come as soon as this week.

According to the US network, the plan includes the expedited processing of Ukrainian activists, journalists and members of the LGBT community.

The move will also speed entry for Ukrainians with family members in the US, unnamed officials told NBC.