Jonathan Rugman , Foreign Affairs Correspondent

As Ukrainians mark 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union, they awoke this morning to air raid sirens, as they did exactly six months ago when Russia invaded in an apparent attempt to reverse the tide of history.

As Ukraine prepares to mark the anniversary of independence from Soviet rule tomorrow, US intelligence is warning of a possible increased threat of Russian strikes on civilian and government targets. 

President Jair Bolsonaro was accused of being “possessed by the devil” by his rival candidate, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

As Russian attacks on Kharkiv in the East of Ukraine continue, the United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres has arrived in the country’s West to seek a solution to the violence.

Russian-annexed Crimea was again rocked by explosions this morning, just a week after a Russian air base on the peninsula was targeted.

EU leaders in Brussels have failed to come to an agreement on an import ban of Russian oil. 

His country echoes to the sound of air raid sirens – historic buildings, churches, hospitals and playgrounds have been reduced to ruins.

Ukraine’s president has said the scale of atrocities being unearthed in Bucha makes it harder for him to negotiate with Russia. 

Another attempt is underway to evacuate thousands of civilians from the living hell in Mariupol as Ukraine said Russian forces had slowed a humanitarian convoy from getting through. 

After six long years in detention in Iran – Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe has spoken about her ordeal for the first time. 

Hopes have been raised that the British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe could be allowed to return to the UK after Iranian officials returned her British passport.

China has indicated it is willing to give its military support to Russia’s invasion. That’s the claim of American diplomats tonight, despite their attempts to head off any agreement to transfer Chinese weapons. 

Putin’s war is a defining moment for Europe. That’s what EU leaders were told as they met in the Palace of Versailles, site of another defining moment for Europe after World War One. 

While some civilians have been able to escape two of Ukraine’s embattled cities, other attempts at “humanitarian corridors” have collapsed amidst Russian shelling and acrimony.

In Russia, TikTok has become the latest social media site to restrict operations.