Russia Threatens Broad Ukraine Offensive As US Presses China over War Stance

Following a tense G20 conference, the United States encouraged China to join the West in opposing the invasion as Ukraine's defenders fought on many fronts to contain Russian soldiers, authorities said.

The governor of Kharkiv reported that a missile attack there injured three citizens, despite the fact that Luhansk and Donetsk, southeast of Kharkiv, appeared to be the major targets of most of Russia's attacks.

The eastern industrial sector of the Donbas is made up of those two provinces, some of which were held by pro-Russian rebels before the crisis started in February.

On Saturday, strikes were reported in both by Ukrainian officials, and the British Ministry of Defense stated that Moscow was mobilising reserve forces from all over Russia close to Ukraine.

The governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported shelling of other populated areas while claiming that a Russian missile had hit the town of Druzhkivka, which lies behind the front line.

Despite a following Ukrainian counterattack that targeted ammunition and weapon depots, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Telegram that Russian forces were "shooting along the entire frontline".

Russia, which last weekend asserted authority over the entire province of Luhansk, denies attacking people.

On Friday, Ukraine had pleaded with the West for more of the sophisticated weapons that it claimed had allowed it to halt Russia's advance.

A few hours later, US President Joe Biden authorised the purchase of up to $400 million worth of arms for Ukraine, including four more high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS).

The weaponry, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are a top concern. He claimed on Twitter that it "helps us press on the enemy."

The Russian Embassy in Washington responded by claiming that America sought to "prolong the conflict at all costs."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists on Saturday that he had expressed concerns to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi about Beijing's support for Moscow and urged the international community to band together to condemn the Russian strike.

On the Indonesian island of Bali, the two spoke for about five hours during the G20 meeting of foreign ministers. Sergei Lavrov of Russia left a meeting there on Friday, criticising the West for its "frenzied criticism."

Without going into further detail, the Chinese foreign ministry stated that Wang and Blinken had talked about "the Ukraine issue".

Wang was also quoted as saying that due to the widespread perception that "the United States is suffering from an increasingly serious case of 'Chinaphobia,'" Sino-American ties were in danger of going further "astray."

Beijing and Moscow declared a "no limits" alliance prior to the Russian incursion, despite the fact that US officials claim they have not observed China evade US-led sanctions against Russia or give it military hardware.

Oleh Synehubov, the governor of Kharkiv, reported on Telegram that in addition to the missile strike, fighters had repelled two Russian attacks close to Dementiivka, a town between the city and the Russian border.

According to the Russian defence ministry, its soldiers attacked two "foreign mercenaries' sites stationed close to Kharkiv."