Image source, Getty

Marina Ovsyannikova, the journalist who made international headlines for her live on-air anti-war protest on Russian state TV, has escaped criminal charges under Russia's strict new media laws.

Russia's Interfax news agency says that a court in Moscow has registered her case under the administrative offences code, rather than criminal charges - meaning she faces a fine of up to 50,000 roubles - about $500/£380 - for allegedly discrediting Russia's armed forces.

On 14 March, Ovsyannikova - a journalist at Russia's state-controlled Channel One - ran out behind the evening news presenter holding a placard that said: "No war, stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here."

Some lawyers and activists had feared she would face prosecution under the new criminal offence that could send anyone spreading "fake news" about the military to prison for up to 15 years.

Speaking to the independent news outlet Meduza, Ovsyannikova said: "I am glad that this is not a criminal article. So I can continue to fight for the truth.”

She has already been fined 30,000 roubles and was detained for 14 hours - but later told the BBC it was important for her to stop being a "cog in the Russian propaganda machine".

Image source, PA Media

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken to China's President Xi Jinping about the invasion of Ukraine, Downing Street says.

The call between lasted around 50 minutes this morning, a spokesman for the prime minister said.

It's understood that Johnson said pressure should be put on President Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine.

It comes a week after US President Joe Biden held a nearly two-hour phone call with Xi.

During that call, Biden "described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia", the White House said.

The UN has identified a mass grave in the besieged southern city of Mariupol it says could hold about 200 people.

Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said her team was trying to assess the scale of the civilian casualties.

"One mass grave we've been able to get satellite information on, and we estimate that one of those mass graves holds about 200 people," she said.

But "that does not mean all those people are civilian casualties", she added - since the UN's numbers do no include military deaths or those who die for other reasons during a war.

At least 1,035 civilians have been killed, she said – though the UN has consistently said it believes casualty numbers are "considerably higher" than its official numbers, due to the difficulty in verifying reports and getting information from war-hit areas.

Earlier this week, local commanders said they thought Mariupol's death toll alone could be more than 3,000. Bodies are often left in the streets because it is too dangerous to retrieve them, and many of them later end up in mass graves.

Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

Image source, Serhiy Orlov

Russia's use of explosives with "wide area effects in or near populated areas – including missiles, heavy artillery shells and rockets as well as airstrikes" could amount to war crimes, the UN's human rights monitoring mission for Ukraine has said.

The head of the UN human rights mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bognor, cited two specific examples: An attack on a school in Chernihiv, and the attack on the maternity hospital in Mariupol.

The UN also has reports of Russian forces shooting at and killing civilians who were trying to evacuate by car, and of civilians being killed during peaceful assemblies.

There are also allegations of indiscriminate shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces in Donetsk which the UN is looking into, and reports that people perceived to be Russian sympathisers have been beaten or ill-treated by Ukrainian police.

It's past lunchtime in Kyiv, and if you're just joining us, or want a recap, here's what's been happening today:

• Ukrainian officials say they believe 300 people may have died in the bombing of a theatre-turned-shelter in the city last week, though such numbers are difficult to verify independently
• Ukraine has had some recent success in re-taking towns and defensive positions east of the capital, Kyiv, UK defence officials say - though fighting continues across the country
• Four people have been killed after Russian strikes hit a medical centre in Kharkiv, according to local police; the city is under heavy bombardment but has not fallen
• US President Joe Biden has been in Europe this week, and he's due to meet Ukrainian refugees in Poland - near the border with Ukraine - later today
• And on his trip, Biden issued a warning to Russia if it uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, amid concerns they could be deployed
• The EU, meanwhile, has signed a deal with the US over liquefied natural gas, as Europe attempts to wean itself off Russian fuel supplies it has relied on in recent years
• Casualties continue to mount: Ukrainian officials say 135 children have been killed since the invasion began, while the UN says mass graves in the battered city of Mariupol might hold up to 200 bodies each
• Thousands remain trapped in Mariupol amid daily bombardments, creating a humanitarian crisis - and the local mayor says it would take years to rebuild the destroyed city

Image source, Reuters

We have another update on last week's bombing of a theatre in Mariupol where civilians were sheltering.

An official has confirmed that an estimated 300 people died in the attack.

Petr Andryuschenko, adviser to deputy mayor of Mariupol, in an interview with Newshour on the BBC World Service, said nearly 600 people were inside the theatre before the attack. Three hundred were in a shelter under the theatre.

The authorities had not been able to start the rescue operation because there was street fighting near the theatre, and the Russians were continuing to shell the area.

Andryuschenko is confident about the figures because they had a record of who was in the theatre before the missile strike, they've spoken to survivors, and they have checked how many survived.

He also confirmed that there is fighting in the middle of the city, but insisted that the Russians had not yet manage to take control.

Image source, Reuters

Some 20,100 visas have been issued by the UK to Ukrainian refugees with family links to the UK, the Home Office has said.

As of 17:00 GMT on Thursday, the government had received 35,500 applications under the Ukraine family scheme, external, which launched earlier this month.

The UK has been increasing its visa offer to refugees from the Ukraine war, extending it to parents, grandparents and siblings as well as "immediate family" and lengthening the visas to three years.

But it has faced criticism that its scheme is less generous than the European Union's, with member states allowing Ukrainian refugees in for up to three years without a visa.

The UK government has also launched its Homes for Ukraine scheme.

However, some families who have applied to be sponsors have complained of relatives being turned away from visa centres in Poland, appointments being only available weeks from now, centres closed in Brussels, personal details lost and applications delayed.

A Ukrainian refugee who fled to Israel with her 11-year-old daughter has just won the Jerusalem marathon.

Athlete Valentyna Veretska took the women's title in a time of 2hr 45min 54sec.

Veretska, 31, escaped Russia's invasion by crossing into Poland before travelling on to Israel. But according to the race organisers, her husband is still in Ukraine serving in the army.

Veretska was one of about 40 Ukrainians who entered the race in Jerusalem's Old City, run in unseasonable rain and cold.

Israel has sent humanitarian support to Ukraine, but has so far refused to provide military aid or join sanctions against Russia.

Image source, Reuters

The Kremlin has responded to comments by US President Joe Biden saying he favoured kicking Russia out of the G20 group of major economies in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin's take is that it wouldn't be disastrous.

"The G20 format is important, but in the current circumstances, when most of the participants are in a state of economic war with us, nothing terrible will happen," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Peskov said the world extended further than the US and Europe, and predicted that efforts to isolate Moscow would fail.

Ordinary Russians are seeing higher prices and shortages of some goods, after the US, EU, UK and allies imposed measures designed to damage Russia's economy.

You can read more here:

• What sanctions are being imposed?
• How everyday life has changed for Russians

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

More than 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began, the Polish Border Guard has said.

Numbers crossing the border have been falling in recent days, but Thursday saw a slight increase with 32,500 making the journey, up 7.4% from Wednesday, the agency wrote on Twitter.

By 06:00 GMT on Friday, 6,900 had crossed - that’s up 1.7% from the same period on Thursday.

Maciej Duszczyk, a professor of migration research at Warsaw University, estimates around 1.2-1.3 million refugees remain in Poland.

Four civilians have been killed and several others wounded after Russian strikes hit a medical centre in Kharkiv, local police say.

Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city and stands near the Russian border in the east.

"This morning, following a bombardment on civilian infrastructure from several rocket launchers, seven civilians were injured, four of them died," police said.

The strikes had targeted a medical centre in the city's Osnovyansky district, they said.

The BBC has not independently verified this.

Russian forces have been trying unsuccessfully to encircle Kharkiv, with analysts saying they are short of ammunition.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville says Ukrainian resistance in the city has frustrated the Russians, who have turned to artillery strikes, destroying entire neighbourhoods.

Could chemical weapons be used?published at 10:28 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March 2022

10:28 GMT 25 March 2022

Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent

We've seen day in, day out, the extraordinary sense of resistance and patriotism among the Ukrainians.

But if it comes to chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, it's a totally different game - a totally different battlefield.

The Ukrainian armed forces don't have that kind of protective gear. But interestingly - and hopefully not ominously - Nato is now talking about providing them with that kind of equipment. A Nato task force has also been activated to deal with potential scenarios.

Would they be used?

If this war drags on, if conventional weapons such as the long-range artillery that is terrorising the city of Mariupol doesn't work, and President Vladimir Putin wants to find a game-changer, he could look to chemical weapons.

He did it in Syria, when he was working with President Bashar al-Assad's security forces. And it worked.

Chlorine gas was also used in November 2016, the last month of a four-year siege of east Aleppo. It was dropped by helicopter.

In Ukraine, the Russians have already gone to the UN Security Council - just before a recent leak of ammonia at a chemical plant caused by Russian shelling - saying the Ukrainians have a US-backed biological and chemical weapons programme. They were met with a wall of derision and denial.

So there are signs that a chemical attack could happen, but no sign yet on the ground.

Image source, UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said he will be taking in a family of Ukrainian refugees into his home.

“I’m in touch, as I say, with my opposite number and also with the Ukrainian family who are coming to live with us in our home, and so I’m hearing about it direct on the ground," Shapps told Sky News.

“They are incredibly grateful to the British people for everything that we are doing.”

The UK government recently launched its Homes for Ukraine scheme, which lets people in the UK host Ukrainians refugees who are known to them, but who do not have family ties here.

It also launched the family visa scheme, external for Ukrainians who have an immediate or extended family member in the UK.

The UK has been criticised for the speed and scale of its response to the refugee crisis in comparison with other European countries.

There have been complaints that the UK visa process is too complicated and reports of refugees being turned away by Border Force officials for not having the right paperwork.

Hugo Bachega
BBC News, Lviv

Image source, Getty Images

The humanitarian situation in the besieged city of Mariupol continues to deteriorate, with Russia blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid, the mayor has said.

The strategic port city has been surrounded by Russian troops since the early days of the war, with no electricity, running water or gas. Most of the city now lies in ruins.

“The situation is really complicated. It’s a humanitarian crisis,” Vadym Boychenko told me. “Part of the city is occupied by Russian [forces] but our soldiers are still controlling the city, but there is non-stop fighting.”

About 100,000 people remain trapped in Mariupol and efforts to carry out large-scale evacuations have failed. Thousands have managed to leave in recent days in private vehicles. Many have spoken of water, food and medical supplies running out, and relentless Russian attacks.

“We’re working on the evacuation [of residents] and I believe that's the only thing that can save people,” the mayor said. “The city is destroyed. It’ll take years to rebuild it.”

He said 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid had been waiting to be delivered but “Russian forces just don’t let it in”.

On Thursday, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister accused Russia of blocking the entry of humanitarian aid convoys for three days.

Image source, Reuters

Former UK national security adviser Mark Sedwill said it is important that US President Joe Biden has sent a "more robust signal" that there could be interventions by Nato if chemical weapons are used by Russia in Ukraine.

Biden, who is in Europe to meet allies, said Nato "would respond" if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, though he did not spell out what that might mean.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sedwill says he thinks the framing of the statement from the US president was "well judged".

He adds he'd like to see sanctions toughened to ultimately damage "capabilities of the Russian state".

Speaking about peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Sedwill says he's "deeply sceptical" that current discussions could achieve a stable outcome".

Image source, Reuters

An update now on last week's theatre bombing in the southern city of Mariupol.

Until now, no death toll had been released as the debris and relentless shelling have made it hard to verify.

Now Ukrainian officials say some 300 people could have died in the strike, which hit a theatre where hundreds of people were sheltering.

Ukrainian officials say Russia carried out the strike. Russia denies attacking the theatre, although its attacks on countless residential buildings and other non-military facilities have been well documented across the country.

"From eyewitnesses, information is emerging that about 300 people died in the Drama Theatre of Mariupol following strikes by a Russian aircraft," Mariupol city hall wrote on Telegram.

Communication with Mariupol is incredibly difficult, so it’s hard to independently verify information.

More than a week after the attack, it remains unclear how many people were in the theatre at the time.

Estimates from the city council, civilians interviewed by the BBC and the Human Rights Watch campaign group suggest between 500 and 1,000 were sheltering in the building days before the attack.

Can the US solve Europe's gas demand?published at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March 2022

09:15 GMT 25 March 2022

Paul Kirby
BBC News Online Europe editor

Image source, Reuters

A few moments ago it was confirmed that the US and EU have agreed a major deal on liquefied natural gas - a move intended to reduce Europe's reliance on Russian energy.

But even if the US significantly increases supplies of liquefied natural gas to Europe, for the EU's 27 member states it is only a start.

The EU will still need to find other producers if they're to move away from Russian gas and hit their target of cutting imports by two-thirds this year.

Last year the EU imported 155 billion cubic metres of Russian gas. That's around 40% of its gas imports. Germany alone imports 55% of its gas from Russia, and it's already suspended the opening of a new Russian pipeline called Nord Stream 2.

Last year the EU said it received almost a quarter of its liquefied gas from the US, so if the US increases its supplies by an extra 15 billion cubic metres, that will make a big difference.

But it also raises big questions.

Qatar and Russia are the other big exporters and Qatar says it cannot divert much more to Europe.

On top of that, there is limited availability in liquefied natural gas terminals in Europe, which are already operating at high capacity.

There are 24 large-scale terminals in the EU - they're essential for "regasifying" liquefied imports. Spain has most capacity but limited pipelines to the rest of Europe.

Germany is also looking beyond the US for LNG supplies and has been talking to Norway for shipments in time for next winter.

Image source, Getty Images

The US and the EU have announced a major deal on liquified natural gas, in an attempt to reduce Europe's reliance on Russian energy.

The agreement will see the US provide the EU with at least 15 billion additional cubic metres of the fuel - known as LNG - by the end of the year.

The bloc has already said it will cut Russian gas use in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

That will mean increasing imports and generating more renewable energy.

The deal was announced on Friday during a three-day visit by US President Joe Biden to Brussels.

Read more.

Russian advance stalled on several frontspublished at 08:48 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March 2022

08:48 GMT 25 March 2022

Frank Gardner
BBC Security Correspondent

Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its Slavic neighbour has triggered Europe’s worst security crisis since the Second World War.

And yet, one month on, Russian forces have failed to exert full control over a single major city, their advance has stalled on several fronts and in some places they have even lost ground to Ukrainian counter-attacks.

Bolstered by hi-tech weaponry from Britain and other Nato countries, Ukrainians have proven themselves both brave and resilient. But their defiance has come at a terrible cost.

The southern port of Mariupol will go down in history as one of the most bombed and shattered cities of our time. Its destruction has been labelled a war crime.

And Ukraine still faces major challenges. Its forces are running low on weapons and ammunition, armed Russian drones are now operating largely with impunity and Moscow is calling up reinforcements.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears set on subjugating Ukraine, even if that means reducing it to a smouldering ruin.

• Read more from Frank

More than a month into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, much of the commentary has been about whether the Kremlin's campaign has become bogged down.

Justin Crump, chief executive of intelligence consultancy Sibylline, and a British army veteran, was asked for his analysis on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He says Russia has been fighting on several different fronts – which has been a failure of its campaign.

But he says the fighting in the south of the country has been led by its most experienced commanders, and while the capital Kyiv has been a focus for its forces, Russia has largely achieved its aim of "liberating" Luhansk in the east and there’s heavy fighting in Donetsk.

"We’re seeing very little out of there," Crump says. "There's very intense fighting there between Ukraine's army and that’s where we’ll see the most intense fighting in the coming weeks."

Crump says Russian forces are digging in in the east of the country and using artillery to harass Ukraine cities and hold its people hostage.

Image source, EPA