Ukraine: Peskov plays down diplomatic progress

Following talks between the two sides in Istanbul yesterday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has warned against optimism about an imminent breakthrough in discussions. We continue our coverage of the war in Ukraine, hearing the latest from our correspondents, and personal stories from people in the country.

We hear a conversation between two Ukrainians with connections to the Donbas region. Ukraine's military has warned that Russia is regrouping its forces to concentrate on fighting in the Eastern area which encompasses Donetsk and Luhansk.

Also, we explain the background to an upcoming bill in the Ukrainian parliament, proposing the ban of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. This would prevent those who worship under Moscow's spiritual authority from religious practice, and could see property seized.

In other news, the eastern half of China's largest city Shanghai is into the third day of lockdown, with the western half due to follow on Friday. We speak to Howard Zhang from BBC Chinese about this, and what the future holds for China's zero-Covid policy.

(Photo: Spokesman of Russian President Dmitry Peskov speaks to the press. Credit: AP)