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ros: caret correspondent is in zaporizhzhia. >> the convoy is on its way to zaporizhzhia, but it has been hity delays. we are not sure what those delays are, but we do know that they have hundreds of miles to travel, have two go through a number of russian checkpoints. in part, the road they are on is a rubble. it could be quite a difficult journey. he had seen pictures of them on their way here but whether they will make it today, we are not sure. when they get here, ther process like any other refugees. we have seen people from mariupol, from her teeth -- kharkiv, from hercog -- kherson. many are making it here in private vehicles. we have seen tape cap windows, every single part of that part is crammed full of any belongings they have managed to gather. they are being given food, some shelter and then they can go on their way. this car park is a bit of a crossroads. you get here and you are safe, but at the same attempt where do you move on to yucca that is what many have that decision to make. ros: what those people have left mariupol, the steelworks is at the last part of that c

— the city of zaporizhzhia? hello. it is a difficult _ the city of zaporizhzhia? hello. it is a difficult question. _ the city of zaporizhzhia? hello. it is a difficult question. at - the city of zaporizhzhia? hello. it is a difficult question. at the - is a difficult question. at the moment we understand that they are just in the process, and we know that they didn't even reach another area at the moment, so we didn't think in general it would be possible for them to reach zaporizhzhia today. so there is not a lot of information about their direct place but we understand in our estimation that it is not today. can i ask about the other people trapped in the azovstal steelworks? do you think you are going to be able to evacuate them as well? you have about 100 out so far but there are many hundreds more. we have about 100 out so far but there are many hundreds more.— are many hundreds more. we all dream, are many hundreds more. we all dream. we _ are many hundreds more. we all dream. we all— are many hundreds more. we all dream, we all pray _ are many hundreds more.

they were transferred to zaporizhzhia, yes, this was the point they were taken to. the safe passage was really hard because it took more time to get to zaporizhzhia, one day more than expected because there are a lot of checkpoints during from mariupol to 23, 26 if i am not mistaken —— to zaporizhzhia. and they were in buses waiting to go. in zaporizhzhia, there is a refugee camp at the first point and at this camp local officials, ukrainian government, unicef, un, they provide our organisation also provide refugees with different help and support with where to leave and so on. but the way he was really difficult and much longer than expected. we way he was really difficult and much longer than expected.— longer than expected. we have had re orts in longer than expected. we have had reports in the _ longer than expected. we have had reports in the last _ longer than expected. we have had reports in the last 24 _ longer than expected. we have had reports in the last 24 hours, - longer than expected. we have had reports in the last 24 hours, the . reports in the

they will join the more than 150 evacuees who reach zaporizhzhia. but a ukrainian deputy prime minister said hundreds of others remain trapped in mariupol and local officials say the steel plant is under constant fire. meanwhile, ukraine says russian missile strikes hit several reaches in the past 24 hours, causing severe damage to railways lear. here in lviv, the mayor says that two people were injured and there were power stations on fire knocking out electricity for parts of the city on tuesday. european commission is proposing a sanctions package that would include a ban on russian oil. here is what she said. >> this is why we will phase out russian supply of crude oil within six months. and refine products by the end of the year. thus we maximize the pressure on russia while at the same time, and this is important, we minimize collateral damage to us and our partners around the globe because to help ukraine, we have to make sure that our economy remains strong. >> clare sebastian is joining us from london, she has been monitoring the breaking n

, where that reception centre _ zaporizhzhia, where that reception centre has— zaporizhzhia, where that reception centre has been set up but we now understand, as laura was saying earlier. — understand, as laura was saying earlier, there has been a delay and they should arrive only tomorrow morning — they should arrive only tomorrow morning. that gives a sense of how complex— morning. that gives a sense of how complex this evacuation is. it was difficult _ complex this evacuation is. it was difficult to — complex this evacuation is. it was difficult to negotiate it and it has been _ difficult to negotiate it and it has been difficult to execute it, so everyone _ been difficult to execute it, so everyone is waiting for the moment to see _ everyone is waiting for the moment to see those 100 people who are now part of— to see those 100 people who are now part of this _ to see those 100 people who are now part of this first group of people who have — part of this first group of people who have left the steelworks to arrive _ who have left the steelworks to arrive in — who have

president zelensky said one group was on its way to zaporizhzhia, whilst russia confirmed many had gone to bezimenne — a village it controls to the east of mariupol. pictures show people who've made it to that site, with some reuniting with family and friends. the russian defence ministry said around 80 people who had arrived in bezimenne are being provided with medical care and supplies. the un and red cross have confirmed they're involved in the evacuation operation — but didn't give further details. 0ur correspondent laura bicker has the latest from zaporizhzhia, where the evacuated civilians are being taken. after 60 days of darkness, they can finally take their first steps in daylight. they've survived weeks of russian shelling by living in bunkers in the besieged city of mariupol. these pictures were taken by the russian defence ministry. this was the last refuge for nearly 1,000 civilians desperate to hide from the daily russian bombardment. the azovstal steel plant is one of the biggest in the world. a unit of ukrainian fighters has tried to hold on as the city around them w

civilians are expected to arrive in the relative safety of the ukrainian city of zaporizhzhia. president zelensky hopes more evacuations will be continue in the coming hours. the ukrainian government believes around 1000 civilians may still be trapped in that steelworks although no one knows for sure how many are there and they are also several hundred wounded fighters who need to be extricated and given urgent treatment. the work continues in the rest of the country, even russia says it aired defences have destroyed two ukrainian fighterjets in the east while the ukrainian military has claimed a drone has destroyed two russian patrol boats in the black sea. daylight at last, after weeks in a maze of underground tunnels. it's thought around 1,000 civilians have been hiding beneath the azovstal steel plant in mariupol, sheltering from russian bombardment. supplies had been cut off. conditions were desperate. yesterday, around 100 were evacuated. this child is six months old. he's spent nearly half of his life underground. translation: i can't believe it. two months of darkness.

for movement to zaporizhzhia. now they are _ for movement to zaporizhzhia. now they are on — for movement to zaporizhzhia. now they are on the way. european energy ministers are holding an emergency meeting to discuss whether to ban the import of russian oil and gas. hungary has already said it's opposed to the move, but poland called for immediate sanctions on russia, and said it wanted to help countries which rely on imports. 0ur europe correspondent, bethany bell, has been following the meeting. bethany, hello to you, and given what we know about how reliant the eu is on that energy that comes from russia, how feasible is it that a ban will be agreed?— russia, how feasible is it that a ban will be agreed? well, there are a number of — ban will be agreed? well, there are a number of things _ ban will be agreed? well, there are a number of things that _ ban will be agreed? well, there are a number of things that have - ban will be agreed? well, there are a number of things that have been l a number of things that have been in conversation today. the m

go to zaporizhzhia right now. you can see it right here. that is where the evacuees are expected to be taken from mariupol. it doesn't look that far on the map but this is a harrowin

russia say at least 69 are bound for zaporizhzhia. add to that as well this united nations and red cross negotiated evacuation of the normal civilian population, who have not been caught in the steel plant, trapped on the ground in appalling conditions. those tens of thousands are supposed to be gathering and on their way here now. now, reports have changed over the past hours. certainly, one local official said that while the buses are on their way to the gathering points, they haven't necessarily collected individuals yet. another ukrainian official has, in fact, suggested we could be talking about tomorrow or later tonight before those arrivals come in here. it is a mixed picture, but one in which there's a lot of global attention after ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy -- >> we're losing audio from nick paton walsh. as we see, some of those residents of mariupol getting out. boy, a long time coming. meanwhile, they've been surviving a relentless assault. >>> other news this weekend, house speaker nancy pelosi is now meeting

ukrainians in kherson and zaporizhzhia have the option of taking the citizenship of their occupiers. >> authorities will begin issuing russian passports to residents in the second largest city of the zaporizhzhia region. what's more russian citizens in ukraine will cost the government in moscow. a stronger than ever ruble and a steady you -- inflation rate is seemingly enough for putin to keep spending money. as of june 1, the minimum wage in russia will increase by 10%. as will the monthly amount for pensioners across the country. that spending is not limited to the russian federation. here in the ukrainian city of kherson, in full russian control, social assistance from the moscow backed municipal government. each resident is getting 10,000 rubles, the russian currency officially used in the region. that is likely to strengthen the occupiers position in a region of ukraine that has been keen to join russia. but, whether it will be repeated in other areas is unclear. if moscow wants to gain support in territories being destroyed, it will likely have to continue to spend even more mo

laura bicker, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. as we've been hearing, those who managed to evacuate mariupol with the help of aid agencies and ukrainian forces are being taken to the city of zaporizhzhia. but disagreements on safe passages and broken ceasefires have led to many stalled attempts. in the last few hours, though, more than 170 civilians have arrived in zaporizhzhia in a convoy of eight buses. more than 600 people have evacuated mariupol in the last 10 days. among the latest arrivals were a0 people who had been sheltering at the azovstal steel plant. translation: here are - children's paintings that i've brought with me as a souvenir. it was a motivation for me to wake up in the morning. to make breakfast, dinner, to entertain children, to make them forget about war. translation: yes, the plant is in ruins. it was hard to climb over metallic debris. they walked us through some pathways. if there was a workshop before, now, it's like a ruin. well, those military parades taking place in moscow and other russian cities wi

distant explosions laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. a russian energy supplier says it will suspend deliveries of electricity to finland from saturday, a day after the country said it would apply to join nato. the russian—owned company, rao nordic, said it had not been paid for previous deliveries. it did not say whether this was due to the impact of sanctions. the finnish power operator said russia provided 10% of finland's electricity, and this could be replaced with alternative sources. on the rwanda policy mounted by the uk government to remove asylum—seekers who cross illegally by small boats across the channel into the uk and other means, it's looking like 50 migrants have been notified of removal to rwanda, so 50 migrants have been told that the uk government is to move them. this is been revealed in an interview with the daily mail newspaper, the home office said it would start to inform the first planned to send to rwanda, including some people... they have 7-14 including some people... they have 7—14 days to lodge object

they're expected to arrive in the nearby city of zaporizhzhia today, and there are hopes that more will be freed later. the un refugee agency has confirmed that more than 5.5 million people have now fled ukraine. tim muffett has the latest developments. daylight at last. after weeks in a maze of underground tunnels. it's thought around 1,000 civilians have been hiding beneath the azovstal steel plant in mariupol, sheltering from russian bombardment. supplies had been cut off. conditions were desperate. yesterday, around 100 were evacuated. this child is six months old. he's spent nearly half of his life underground. translation: i can't believe it. two months of darkness. when we were in the bus, i told my husband, we won't have to go to the toilet with a torch and use a bag as a loo. the operation involved the un and the red cross. it's thought evacuees have been taken to both russian and ukrainian controlled areas. translation: ukrainians, - our defenders, today we finally managed to start the evacuation of people from azovstal. after many weeks of negotiation, after many attempts, di

go to zaporizhzhia right now. you can see it right here. that is where the evacuees are expected to be taken from mariupol. it doesn't look that far on the map but this is a harrowing journey. nick paton walsh live in zaporizhzhia waiting, i guess. >> reporter: at this stage, we do not have evacuees from the azovstat plant. workers from red cross are coming here, where they would come in. you can see areas here being used over the past hours to welcome other evacuees from some, actually, the past days who have got out of mariupol are held in russian-held territory and slowly moved their way here. all eyes are on these two separate moves out of mariupol. i say two separate because we're talking about the steel plant where a cease-fire allowed the first batch of individuals to get out. i have to quote russian media here for some of the clearest numbers but their suggestion was that 46 got out in the first 24-hour-period. now, we've seen another 80 in the second. the fate of those split, according to russian military

laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. earlier i wasjoined by andrew d'anieri, who worked with peace corps in ukraine, and now is an assistant director at the atlantic council's eurasia centre. he gave us some insight into how significant turkey's opposition to nato membership for finland and sweden really is. on the nato issue with finland, sweden and turkey's opposition today, i think it is actually remarkable that this is the biggest issue we are seeing to these two countries' accession to nato. nato is typically a years long process that requires deep integration militarily, politically and economically, more than most people realise. and so we are talking about weeks and maybe months rather than years right now. so i think it is not necessarily a surprise that this has come up as a roadblock, but i think it is, we should all realise and recognise that sweden and finland are much closer to nato membership because of the work they have done to integrate with the alliance over the past several years, and my colleagues at

laura bicker, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. further north in the capital, kia, nancy pelosi, the speaker of the house of us representatives has made a surprise visit to speak with volodymyr zelensky and said that the us would stand with ukraine until the fight is done, as she put it. she said congress would also move quickly to deliver $33 billion worth of aid, as proposed by president biden. he is ben brown. nany pelosi is the latest high profile international political figure to come to kyiv and offer president zelenskyy moral support. and he's getting much more than that from the united states, some $33 billion worth of economic, humanitarian and military assistance promised by president biden. speaking in poland after nancy pelosi had left ukraine, she said ukraine is fighting for everyone's freedom. do not be bullied by bullies. if they're making threats, you cannot back down. that's my view of it, that we're there for the fight. and you cannot fold to a bully. russia is now stepping up its offensive on the eastern front i

let's bring in cnn's melissa bell live for us in zaporizhzhia with more on this. melissa is this is a big step. how is this being received? >> reporter: look, it is a big step, the european union saying we're going to phase out the oil export business 2022. the point is to point out on the ground, the stronger signal that they want to send on the backing of the war. here on the ground it's a greater urgency. russia of course, continues to draw huge revenue from oil prices that have just continued to rise as a result of this crisis. here on what is a hardening front line, brianna, we're socking about severodonetsk to the north to kherson to zap rec zaporizhzhia where i'm standing now and to the territory that is also hardening. i'm speaking to you here, from a camp of ukrainians who have been trying to move back across that hardened border to places like mariupol to get back to their homes and families trapped on the other side. for a number of reasons not simply military, that border has hardened. what you're talking is a situation that has humanitarian implicatio

laura bicker, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. meanwhile — in kyiv — nancy pelosi, the speaker of the us house of representatives, has made a surprise visit for talks with ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky. she said the united states would stand with ukraine until the "fight is done" and said congress would move quickly to deliver 33 billion dollars worth of aid proposed by president biden. ben brown reports. nancy pelosi is the latest high—profile international politicalfigure to come to kyiv and offer president zelensky moral support. and he's getting much more than that from the united states, some $33 billion worth of economic, humanitarian and military assistance, promised by president biden. speaking in poland after nancy pelosi had left ukraine, she said ukraine is fighting for everyone's freedom. do not be bullied by bullies. if they're making threats, you cannot back down. that's my view of it, that we're there for the fight. and you cannot fold to a bully. russia is now stepping up its offensive on the eastern

laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. let's get some of the day's other news. —— let's stay with ukraine. 21—year—old russian soldier appeared in the dock, accused of killing an unarmed soldier. he faces life in prison if convicted. ukraine says it has identified thousands of war crimes committed by russia. russia denies targeting civilians and will not comment on the trial. ukraine's state prosecutor there will soon there will be a lot more of these cases. let's get some of the day's other news. at least 27 people have been killed and more than a0 injured in a fire in delhi. the blaze started on the first floor of a four—storey building two days after north korea officially acknowledged its first covid cases, official media say another 21 people have died. the state news agency also said over 170,000 more people showed symptoms compared with the day before. the north korean leader, kimjong—un, described the outbreak as "a great disaster" but said that it could be overcome. the uk government has told 50 migran

laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. that is it for now. we are back with the headlines and of course much more on the news website and i am on twitter as well if you want to get in touch. thank you for being with us. hello. it was a bright and breezy day for most of us today. saturday's not looking bad at all, with more sunny spells in the forecast. however, there are thundery showers also predicted saturday night into sunday morning across southern parts of the country. but in the short term, it's quiet. on the weather front, high pressure is building in from the south, but low pressure still fairly close to the north of the country. and you can see all of that thick cloud, so actually it wasn't that bright and breezy across scotland, it was actually really windy with occasional showers and quite cloudy conditions there in the western isles. but through the course of the night, i think it's a case of clear spells in eastern scotland, the south of scotland and everywhere south of that. just a bit of mist forming in the countryside early on

distant explosions laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. that report showed us how russian forces are pushing up out of the mariupol area. but what's hapening inside the city itself? clive myrie reports. all eyes have been on the azovstal steelworks, where the last remaining ukrainian fighters in mariupol have been holed up for weeks. now, new satellite imagery shows the extent of russia's relentless air and ground bombardment of the plant to get those fighters out, and finally declare a much—needed victory in a war that so far for moscow isn't going to plan. there are more problems further east for the russian military, in severodonetsk. in this drone footage an armoured column is trying to cross a river, but ukrainian artillery — recently bolstered by the arrival of american howitzers — appears to have destroyed an entire battalion tactical group, which can comprise up to 900 men as well as tanks and armoured personnel carriers. finally, on the black sea coast, attention today has been focused on the small but strategically importan

the un says most are now in the city of zaporizhzhia.

laura bicker in zaporizhzhia. here in kyiv, nancy pelosi, the speaker of the us house of representatives, has made a surprise visit for talks with ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky. she said the united states would stand with ukraine until the "fight is done" and said congress would move quickly to deliver $33 billion worth of aid proposed by president biden. nancy pelosi is the latest high—profile international political figure to come to kyiv. an offer president zelensky moral support. and he is getting more than that from the united states. some $33 billion worth of economic humanitarian and economic military assistance promised by president biden. speaking in poland after nancy pelosi had left ukraine, she said ukraine is fighting for everyone's freedom. [30 said ukraine is fighting for everyone's freedom. do not be bullied by _ everyone's freedom. do not be bullied by bullies. _ everyone's freedom. do not be bullied by bullies. if _ everyone's freedom. do not be bullied by bullies. if they - everyone's

in zaporizhzhia, their cars bear the trauma of war. white flags and signs that read "children" in russian. they who have seen and endured the worst are the lucky ones. they got out. including 100 evacuees from the steel plant in mariupol, free from what the mayor there described as worse than hell. they were escorted by the united nations and the international red cross. you see them leaving in this video. but hundreds more civilians, along with 500 wounded soldiers are still trapped. ukrainian officials promise a large-scale evacuation at the plant to free them, but early morning shelling in that city threatens to derail those plans. russian forces continue to hammer cities in the east and the south. in kharkiv, shelling killed three and injured eight others. but the ukrainians are exacting their own toll. today the ukrainian military is taking credit for several attacks on russian forces, including high-speed patrol ships in the black sea and early reports of two explosions in belogrod near the ukrainian bored indicate another possib

the ukrainian held city of zaporizhzhia is a vital test of whether it works. and it appears to be facing some difficulties, delays with the possibility we may see those first people emerging in the hours ahead. >> i think the world is holding a collective breath for those evacuees. praying they get to safety. nick, we are also hearing of claims that russia has held some of these evacuees, that they are at least saying some of these evacuees from mariupol are choosing to go to russia or stay in russian-controlled areas. as mariupol's mayor describes filtration centers. what do you know about this? >> look, it's important to remember that when we talk about people leaving mariupol, it is not always good news for all of them. thousands it appears have been taken east into russia and russia says this is all part of our bid to essentially denazify -- that's their reason for invading ukraine. they would be taking people to filtration camps for a reeducation process. that's nonsense in itself, but it's no comfort that for those who are forced to go through it taken a

refugees from all over the south of the country are making their way to the safe city of zaporizhzhia. they've taken any car, any bus they can. it can take many days and sometimes weeks to get here. it's rare that any make it from encircled mariupol. we found one family who'd escaped after six weeks in a bunker. when you finally got out of the bunker, what did you see of your city? what was left of mariupol? translation: it was nonexistent. nine—floor buildings were turned into three and four floor buildings. smaller ones are gone completely. we walked some, hitchhiked some. then we picked up a shopping cart and put our kids in that. so it was easier than carrying them. "glory to ukraine," says three—year—old anhelina. it's now a tense wait to see if more civilians from her city will make it out alive. that was laura bicker reporting. nancy pelosi, the speaker of the us house of representatives, has made a surprise visit for talks with ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky. she said the united states would stand with ukraine, until the "fight is done" — and said congress wou

laura bicker, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. those who managed to evacuate mariupol with the help of aid agencies and ukrainian forces are being taken to the city of zaporizhzhia. but disagreements on safe passages and broken ceasefires have led to many stalled attempts. but in the last few hours, more than 170 civilians have arrived in zaporizhzhia in a convoy of eight buses. more than 600 people had evacuated mariupol in the past 10 days — among the latest arrivals were a0 people who had been sheltering at the azovstal steel plant. translation: here are children's paintings - that i brought with me as a souvenir. it was a motivation for me to wake up in the morning, to make breakfast, dinner, to entertain children, to make them forget about war. translation: yes, the plant is in ruins. it was hard to climb over metallic debris. they walked us through some pathways. if there was a workshop before, now it's like a ruin. on monday, there will be military processions in russia to commemorate the soviet victory over nazi germany

and 69 to head to zaporizhzhia, held by ukraine. still, monday before dusk, none of the convoy either from the plant or the wider tens of thousands of civilians who might want to get out in the u.n. move, had arrived here. a welcome center where slowly people have been arriving from wider mariupol and the areas around it under their own steam, over journeys spanning previous days. tatiana said she got out of mariupol three days ago. they bombed the buildings, they're aflame. the bolds have been buried. she tries to get up and walk before she's reminded her wheelchair is there for a purpose. in the days ahead, the numbers under u.n. escort arriving here will be a powerful omen whether any sort of talking in this war can save lives. nick paton walsh, cnn, zaporizhzhia, ukraine. >> stay on top of any evacuations that take place this morning. joining me now from california, steve fish, professor of political science at uc-berkeley. a very good evening to you there, steve. let me start, really, what we've heard overnight, your thoughts t

distant explosions laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. let's speak to andrew, who worked at the peace corps in ukraine now an assistant director at the atlanta council's eurasian centre. we are seeing some of the power battles that continue there in ukraine from our colleagues who are there, but also of course we are hearing about nato potentially expanding finland and sweden in the news over the past few days. but then president erdogan of turkey talking about being against that and not approving. of that particular measure. how do you see this playing out? fin particular measure. how do you see this playing out?— see this playing out? on the nato issue _ see this playing out? on the nato issue with _ see this playing out? on the nato issue with finland, - see this playing out? on the - nato issue with finland, sweden and turkey's opposition today, i think it is actually remarkable that this is the biggest issue we are seeing to these two countries' a session to nato. nato is typically a years long process that requires deep integrati

let's go first to cnn's nick peyaton walsh, he is live for u in zaporizhzhia, ukraine, with the very latest. what can you tell us? >> reporter: brianna, it's here really where expectations have been mounting for weeks frankly, but most specifically in the last hour as to when we may start seeing the first people arrive here as part of this wave of evacuations. it's important to point out occasionally individuals arrive here, one car just arriving from mariupol, but that broad evacuation arranged by the united nations red cross, part of broader discussions between capitals moscow, kyiv as well, is, i think, fair to say under way at this point. there is a little uncertainty as to exactly its progress si stage, there's suggestions from officials that the buses haven't yet reached the rallying point yet but also other suggestions, too, it is en route. there are two different phases to this, there is the azovstal steel plant, those hundreds of civilians and it seems also, too, hundreds of wounded ukrainian soldiers caught under that enormous sprawling factory and also slowly coming out, y

we brought tons of civilians to safety in zaporizhzhia. almost 500 people are here in the evacuation process we organized. >> a couple things have stood out to me since we've been waitwait for any news after the first evacuation, and it took days for us to learn it was successful. people got to zaporizhzhia. the things that stand out to me is why did it take so long, days? and why so relatively few people given we know there are still thousands of people potentially who are trying to evacuate? >> i think there are three reasons that i could tell you why is it difficult and why it took so many days. first, i think i mentioned already, we're operating a war zone. each of the movements had to be analyzed. they had to be analyzed in the details. the details to make sure it's safe for us and for people that are trying to help. it ahas to be agreed to with both parts of the conflict. the second part that made it difficult and take more days than we would expect maybe is that we had some secret incidents. we had to cross a path -- our path close

cnn's nick paton walsh is in the shelter there in zaporizhzhia. nic, what are they telling you about their experience there in that plant and the journey to some safety? >> reporter: yeah, as you rightly point out, victor, early today when we were at the shelter where they are in zaporizhzhia, we heard of people's experiences of dealing with sunlight again. one woman, age 78, olga, blinking, saying she found it hard to see in the intense sunlight. she experienced once she got off the bus that had been part of a two-day journey, olga recognizable from being in a video filmed by the ukrainian military of the initial evacuation out of mariupol, out from the rubble from the basement below the azovstal steel factory and she kept saying to me, i'm alone. carrying with her two bags, essentially her entire life in those, and even her toilet paper in her upper chest pocket here, a head torch around her neck. that was the only source of light she had during those two months in which she was underground. on the other end of the spectrum, ana, a young mother,

this is within the place where i am now in zaporizhzhia this is not people coming from the steel plant where we are still waiting for those people to come. they have endured quite an ordeal they are coming out now. as you can see, the press corps is here to greet them with agencies like unicef and red cross and doctors without borders. these people are processed by the police and local officials we don't know where they will go after this this is the main processing center for people coming from all around the mariupol region we spoke with people who were here earlier today these people came out here from buses. we did speak to people coming in their private cars they took advantage of the cease-fire when they heard the guns falling silent they decided to drive themselves to safety here to zaporizhzhia that is what we will see all day long as people complete journeys from the war-torn areas from the east and south and here to safety the people we spoke with earlier described a difficult journey. one which they had to drbribe people on the roads and bribe soldiers they said they gave th

arriving just now in zaporizhzhia, where cnn is on the ground. >> cnn's international security editor nick paton walsh is there. and i think talking with some folks who have just arrived. nick, what are you hearing from them? >> reporter: what you're seeing here, guys, what you're seeing here in front of our cameras are the first people to emerge from the buses here. now, you may actually recognize this lady from the reports that we put out last night. she emerged on video, in fact, in one of the videos taken of those who were lucky to get out from mariupol and has just emerged here, was asked where she's going to go, and said, look, i have nobody here. i don't know where to go now. and tears on a couple of occasions. this is the journey that they were all be making as they endured that extraordinary escape from under azovstal, from where she has been for weeks. and now they have tried to piece their lives back together again. you can see in the exhaustion of her face, and you can see there just the -- around her neck, she's clearly been living in the dark. i asked her a moment ago, w

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laura bicker, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. the ukrainian city of lviv has been hit by a number of missiles — the first strikes in the west of the country in more than a week. the city's mayor says three electricity substations have been damaged, parts of the city are without power and there are outages at some medicalfacilities. he said there's also serious damage to infrastructure and interruptions in the water supply. if you want to get in touch with me over any stories, including ukraine, iam @bbckarishma. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: ukrainian group antytila team up with ed sheeran, releasing a new song partly filmed and recorded while serving in the war against russia. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. but the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for

let's go to nick paton walsh in zaporizhzhia. it's been a long time coming but it's going slowly. do we expect this corridor to remain open? >> all that, frankly, is tbd. at this stage what you're seeing behind me here are not the long-awaited evacuees that are part of this united nations red cross move coordinated on the level of the heads of state it seems to get those people out. we understand on the move it seems are some of those who were in as the steal plant beneath it, desperately hunkering down in that enormous facility because it was the only remaining hard shelter after the lengthy bombardment of mariupol. this according to the russian military of defense, take that as you will, over 1 u00 over th past 48 hours, 11 have chosen to stay in separatist territory but at least 69 today russia says are on their way towards zaporizhzhia. i understand from two officials speaking to here that they may not necessarily arrive yet in daylight hours today. they have a number of hurdles still to cross between that area and where i'm standing here, the reception center in zaporizhzhia.

and to the red cross and president zelenskyy also confirmed that 100 people are now in route to zaporizhzhia. the ukrainian deputy prime minister apologized for the radio silence. the real lack of information that we've had over the last 24 hours, but she said she did not want to do anything to jeper diez the success of this operation which, by the way, is still ongoing. she specifically singled out the red cross and the u.n. secretary general for helping to get this done. what still is not clear at this stage of the game, if you believe the russian and the ukrainian statements, 180 civilians have been taken out of the plant. that still potentially leaves hundreds more. it also leaves, we're told, hundreds of wounded soldiers and we have no clue at this stage what their fate may be. >> all right. scott mclain, matt rivers, thanks to both of you. appreciate it. let's talk about this with retired u.s. army major general dana petard. he is the author of "hunting the caliphate". general, welcome back. good to see you. let's zero in on the evacuations at the steel plant as we know it in mariupol.

we've been seeing over the course of the last few days in zaporizhzhia, cruise missiles hitting this city, but also to the south of here, evidence of increased shelling along so many of the villages to the south of zaporizhzhia. we can hear the regular thud of outgoing artillery fire, and that tells you the fighting is intensifying. more than that, john, i think what is key here is considering how deeply entrenched this line is becoming and that is of extreme concern to ukraine as well. not only are they subject to russian advances that are helped by the long-range missiles that russia has, for instance, that have been hitting some of the towns i mentioned to the south of here. we're also seeing this hour from the ukrainian side an announcement that essentially in the russian-controlled southern-held territories to the north of which i'm standing, communications have essentially been cut off. no more internet connections. no more telephone connections. that's what we're hearing from people trying to get across the boarder. they're no longer able to speak to the relatives they've left

in zaporizhzhia, there were tears of joy and relief, of course, on tudesday, as more thn 150 evacuees arrived. around 100 of them have been evacuated from the bombed out azov steel plant. but hundreds remain trapped inside the sprawling industrial complex under relentless attack. well, according to officials from both sides, russian forces have launched a fresh round of attacks on the plant. a ukrainian commander inside the plant says they've been under constant fire and he says at least two civilians sheltering in a bunker were killed during these attacks on monday. cnn's nick paton walsh was in zaporizhzhia for us when those evacuees from the mariupol steel plant arrived on tuesday. he spoke with two women about some of the horrors they endured while trapped understood ground. >> reporter: five buses only, but delivering innocent ukrainians to safety from russia's onslaught. just over 100 civilians, the first to leave the basement of the azovstal steel plant in mariupol. bringing with them stories of the circle of hell they lived in underground for weeks. this is olga. after two mon

some evacuation did begin arriving in zaporizhzhia on monday. this is where often people fleeing go first. but the city's mayor says russia is making that journey even more difficult by forcing everyone who wants to enter ukrainian-controlled territory to pass through so-called filtration camps. he says people are often held there without food and claims many are deported to russia against their will. a u.s. official says they are aware of the claim and if true it would be a violation really of international law. >>> u.s. and western officials believe vladimir putin could formally declare war on ukraine as soon as may 9. that is victory day in russia marking the defeat of nazis in world war ii. up to now you can remember russia called its actions in ukraine a special military operation, but there could be more. have a listen. >> translator: according to the most recent reports, we believe that russia will try to annex the donetsk people's republic ato russia. reports state that russia has plans to engineer referendum on joining russia sometime i