Ceremonies have been taking place today in Ukraine to mark 34 years since the country gained its independence from the Soviet Union. President Zelensky said that, three-and-a-half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine would not settle for anything less than a just and lasting peace. The BBC’s Zhanna Bezpiatchuk tells us about the mood in Kyiv today.

Also in the programme: the Nigerian military says it’s killed more than 30 jihadists in recent air strikes: we speak to the organiser of an open letter by a group of prominent Nigerians calling for a Presidential Task Force to halt the killing of civilians; and the Palestinian teachers in a displacement camp in Gaza City who are sharing their musical knowledge with children.

(Photo: A Ukrainian flag flutters next to the Independence Monument at the Independence Square in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, 23rd August 2025. Credit: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA/Shutterstock)