We're still waiting for the UN vote on whether Russia will be suspended from the Human Rights Council.

Making the case earlier for Russia to be suspended, the Ukrainian representative at the UN said the world had come to a "crucial juncture".

Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia was committing "horrific" human rights abuses in Ukraine, adding that suspending Russia was "not an option but a duty".

In response, Russia's representative, Gennady Kuzmin, claimed the vote was an "attempt by the US to maintain its dominant position and total control".

He said the vote had no relation to the human rights situation on the ground in Ukraine.

Image source, .

Women, children and the elderly in Dnipro have been urged to evacuate while they still can by the city's mayor, as fears of intensified fighting in eastern Ukraine increase.

In a video address, Borys Filatov said anyone who is not directly involved in critical infrastructure should leave the city in central Ukraine for safer places in the west of the country, given the "worsening situation in Donbas".

Dnipro, which had a pre-war population of around one million, is currently seeing an influx of people who have been evacuated from areas to its east.

The recommendation follows similar warnings by authorities in Luhansk and Donetsk - which make up the Donbas - where the Russian military is expected to ramp up attacks in the coming weeks.

Image source, Getty Images

Away from the UN and Nato, earlier today a security guard at the British embassy in Berlin denied spying for Russia.

British national David Smith, 57, is accused of collecting information from the embassy and passing it to a person he believed was a Russian representative, among other allegations.

He pleaded not guilty to nine offences under the Official Secrets Act at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

It's alleged that Smith tried to communicate by letter with General Major Sergey Chukhurov, the Russian military attache based out of the Russian Embassy in Berlin.

He's also accused of collecting information about the layout and operations of the UK embassy in Berlin that could be useful to the Russian state.

Read the full story here

Image source, EPA

As we wait for that UN vote on whether Russia is to be suspended from the Human Rights Council, here is a recap of what Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg just said following the alliance summit in Brussels:

• He said there was a clear message from today's meeting that allies are "ready to do more" to provide more military equipment, and they "realise and recognise the urgency"
• He would not give details of weapons supplied to Ukraine, but said Nato allies were providing a wide range of weapons systems, including Soviet-era and modern weapons
• He said Nato allies utterly condemn the "horrific murders" of civilians in Bucha, and other places, and support efforts for an international investigation

• He said any distinction between "offensive" and "defensive" weapons is "strange" because Ukraine is defending itself against attack
• Nato is stepping up its support for Ukraine over cybersecurity and will provide equipment to help Ukraine defend chemical or biological attack
• Nato will also help other partner nations, including Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, to "shore up their resilience" and their "ability to defend themselves"

• He warned the world must be prepared for the "long haul" and the war could last for months or even years

The United Nations General Assembly is to shortly vote on a move to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, after Ukraine accused Russian troops of killing dozens of civilians in the town of Bucha.

A two-thirds majority vote by the 193-member assembly in New York can suspend a state for persistently committing gross and systematic violations of human rights.

We'll bring you the results of that vote when it happens.

The world must be prepared for the "long haul" with the war in Ukraine, Nato's secretary general warns.

Jens Stoltenberg says the war may last for weeks, months or even years more, adding allies were "imposing heavy costs" on Russia through sanctions to help shorten the duration of the conflict.

He adds if the war is going to last for a long time, the risk is primarily with the people of Ukraine "who will suffer more, who will see more death and destruction".

Stoltenberg says: "But of course, as long as war continues, there will be risk for escalation beyond Ukraine and that is what Nato is focused on, to prevent that escalation."

Image source, AFP

Stoltenberg is asked if Nato is speeding up its delivery of weapons to Ukraine to help prepare the country for an expected offensive from Russia in the eastern Donbas.

He says Nato has provided significant support with equipment and has trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian forces over the years before Russia's invasion on 24 February - and further help has been given since then.

Ukraine's foreign minister has said his country urgently needs even more weapons from its Western allies to defend itself against Russia.

"Allies are providing and are ready to do more when it comes to military support," Stoltenberg says.

He adds that inviting Ukraine's foreign minister to the Nato talks is one way the alliance is keeping on top of what Ukraine needs.

Nato will step up its support for Ukraine over cybersecurity, Jens Stoltenberg says.

The secretary general adds the defensive alliance will also provide equipment to help Ukraine defend against the threat of chemical or biological attack.

He adds Nato will also help other partner nations, including Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, to "shore up their resilience" and their "ability to defend themselves".

Image source, Nato

Nato General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg begins by talking about the alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces withdrawing from parts of northern Ukraine.

"Allies utterly condemn the horrific murders of civilians we have seen in Bucha and other places recently liberated from Russia control," he says.

Stoltenberg adds that all those responsible must be brought to justice and that Nato's member states were supporting efforts for an international investigation.

Nato members have agreed to strengthen support to Ukraine, Jens Stoltenberg, the General Secretary of the military alliance says.

He is speaking following a meeting of Nato in which Ukraine called for more weapons.

We'll bring you more from him shortly.

Ukraine's foreign minister tells reporters that any alleged war crimes by his forces against Russians would be investigated - but added that the context of atrocities in Bucha should be taken into account.

"You don’t understand how it feels seeing pictures from Bucha, talking to people who escaped, knowing that [a] person you know was raped for days in a row," Dmytro Kuleba says.

"You don't understand how it feels that Russian solider[s] rape children.

"This is not an excuse to those who violate the rules of warfare on either side of the front line, but there are some things which you simply can’t understand, I’m sorry."

Kuleba was responding to a question from a journalist about a video that's been circulating on social media, which appears to show Ukrainian forces shooting a Russian soldier.

The BBC has been analysing the footage - here is what we have found out so far.

Ukraine's foreign minister says the Ukrainian army observes war laws but added that there "might be isolated incidents of violation" that would be investigated.

Western nations who continue to buy Russian oil and gas are "supporting Ukraine with one hand, while supporting Russia's war machine with another", Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says.

He says sanctions have negative long and mid-term consequences for the Russian economy, but emphasises "people are dying right now".

Kuleba adds that Ukraine needs more to be done to stop the Russian military immediately.

He acknowledges damage is being inflicted by sanctions, but reiterates the Ukrainian view that the current response is insufficient to achieve enough in the short term.

Image source, Nato

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls on Nato to make quick decisions about how best to help stop President Putin's forces.

“Either you help us now, and I’m speaking about days not weeks, or your help will come too late and many people will die, many civilians will lose their homes, many villages will be destroyed, exactly because this help came too late."

New sanctions have been agreed by the US and UK this week, but EU members are yet to agree on its latest proposals - and Kuleba wants all sanctions to go further than they have already, to include a ban on Russian oil and gas.

He says the atrocities seen in Bucha and other parts of northern Ukraine recently occupied by Russian forces are "just the tip of the iceberg" of alleged war crimes committed by Putin's side.

The situation is "much, much worse" in Mariupol, he adds.

"To prevent more Buchas, we have to talk and see how we can end this war," he says.

We're now hearing from Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the Nato summit in Brussels.

He says the focus he outlined earlier, on "weapons, weapons, weapons", is about protecting the security of Nato countries as well as Ukraine.

Speaking at a Nato summit in Brussels, he tells reporters Ukraine is proposing a "fair deal" for both parties.

Kuleba says as long as the West gives Ukraine all the support it needs to fight, it will protect Nato countries from Russian aggression.

He adds this would help Ukraine protect the security of Nato countries by giving Russian President Vladimir Putin no chance to "test Article 5".

Article 5 is a key part of the Nato alliance, in which all members agree to treat an attack on one member nation as an attack on all.

Image source, Getty Images

Some more news now from the Russian perspective on the war. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Kyiv has presented Moscow with a draft peace deal but it contains "unacceptable elements".

He says Ukraine amended its earlier proposals made during Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on 29 March.

"Such inability to negotiate once again characterises the true intentions of Kyiv," he says.

Lavrov claims Kyiv is controlled by the US centre of government in Washington "who are pushing President [Volodymyr] Zelensky to continue the hostilities".

He says Russia will continue talks, but will also press to secure its own requirements in any deal.

In response, Ukraine says Lavrov's comments are propaganda, as he's not directly involved in negotiations, and that they should be seen in the light of Russian efforts to divert attention away from events during the war in Bucha.

Image source, EPA

A vote will be held at the United Nations in New York later on whether Russia should be thrown off the UN's Human Rights Council for its actions in Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders have labelled the alleged deliberate killing of civilians in the city of Bucha as "war crimes".

But how exactly do you commit a crime in the context of a war?

Even combat has its "rules". They’re contained in treaties called the Geneva Convention.

This - and other international agreements - set out the limits of what can be done on the battlefield, and look to give protection to civilians during times of conflict.

• Crucially, civilians cannot be deliberately attacked
• Certain arms – like chemical weapons – are banned because of the appalling suffering they cause
• The sick and wounded must be cared for – and injured soldiers have rights even when captured by their enemies

"Genocide" is a specific war crime, referring to an effort to wipe out people from a particular national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Ukraine’s President Zelensky has accused his enemy of this.

Moscow has denied such claims - but the US has called for President Putin to be prosecuted.

Ukrainian troops have also been accused of their own abuses, with the New York Times reporting that video footage has appeared to show servicemen shooting dead captured Russian soldiers.

For more on this subject, have a read of this explainer piece by the BBC's legal correspondent, Dominic Casciani.

Heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko has been fighting the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

Speaking to Radio 5 Live, he says there are "many dead civilians" who have been "tortured and executed" in Bucha after Russian forces withdrew.

"I never thought other humans could do that to someone who was not showing any resistance," he says.

The former world heavyweight champion went on to call for the world to do more to oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"If you are remaining passive and you're just observing what's going on, you're part of this aggression, you're supporting this aggression," he says.

"Blood of the civilians is on your hands. If you're passively observing, you need to take an active part."

Hugo Bachega
BBC News, Lviv

Image source, Reuters

Fighting continues in the besieged port city of Mariupol, where efforts to set up humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians have failed.

In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, the city’s mayor, Vadym Boychenko, describes the situation as "hell" - estimating that at least 120,000 residents remained trapped with no electricity, running water and gas.

The city’s population at the start of the war was more than 400,000.

"All we have to do now is to safely evacuate people," Boychenko says.

Pictures from Mariupol show a city devastated, and Boychenko says at least 5,000 people there have been killed in weeks of relentless Russian bombardment.

He adds that staff and patients from a major hospital in the city had recently been forcefully taken to Russian-controlled territory.

The mayor also claims, without providing evidence, that Russian forces were trying to hide possible evidence of crimes by removing bodies from the streets and even using mobile cremation vehicles in the city.

The BBC is unable to independently verify these claims.

The mayor is no longer in Mariupol, which has been surrounded by Russian troops for more than a month, and receives updates from remaining residents.

Image source, EPA

In a few minutes, BBC World News will run a half-hour TV special looking at claims of war crimes in Ukraine.

Yalda Hakim will speak to guests including our correspondent Jeremy Bowen – who’s recently been reporting on alleged atrocities in the city of Bucha – and our Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg.

The mayor of Ukraine’s southern city of Mykolaiv is also set to feature, as is the pro-Kremlin Russian MP Evgeny Popov.

You can watch the programme on BBC World News at 13:30 BST (12:30 GMT).

And viewers in the UK can tune in on the BBC News Channel, by clicking the play button at the top of this page. After the broadcast, they'll also be able to watch again here.

Image source, EPA

If you're just joining our live coverage, or want a recap, here's the latest from the war in Ukraine:

Call for arms

• G7 foreign ministers have condemned "massacres" in Russia's "brutal war" in Ukraine as severe violations of international law
• Weapons appear to be the main focus of the day, as Ukraine calls for more military aid from Nato to save the lives of civilians from Russian attacks
• Speaking at a Nato meeting in Brussels, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed a new round of sanctions, but also called on western nations to do more and eliminate the use of Russian oil and gas
• Foreign ministers from across the defensive alliance enter their second day at the summit, with discussions focusing on how best to assist Ukraine

On the ground

• The Russian military offensive is focused on making progress in the eastern regions of Donbas, the UK's Ministry of Defence says
• As Russian forces withdraw from the north of Ukraine, more disturbing stories are emerging
• The BBC has been told that Russian soldiers used people as human shields to protect themselves from counter-attacks in northern Ukrainian villages
• Our reporters have also seen residential areas flattened in Chernihiv, to the north-east of Kyiv