Russian missiles pound east Ukraine, hit Kharkiv

A T-72 Ukrainian tank on the frontline near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine

Russian troops shelled Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Saturday as Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of preparing further attacks and Washington promised new military aid to Kyiv.

Having endured long battles to capture cities in the neighbouring Lugansk region, Russia is now seeking to push deeper into Donetsk to consolidate its hold over the entire Donbas region in the east.

Five people were killed in the Donetsk region in the past 24 hours while seven were injured, Ukrainian officials said Saturday.

"We are trying to contain their armed formations along the entire frontline... Where it is inconvenient for them to go forward, they create real hell, shelling the territories on the horizon," he said.

Russia's defence ministry said Saturday it had inflicted heavy losses in the Mykolaiv and Dnepropetrovsk regions, in southern and central Ukraine respectively, and claimed strikes on Donetsk and the Kharkiv region.

- 'Massive fighting' -

"Will the world be able to bring real war criminals to justice?" he asked, warning failure to do so would lead to "hundreds of other aggressions".

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk was quoted by Ukrainian media as urging civilians in occupied areas to evacuate by any means possible. 

"The entire frontline is under relentless shelling," Donetsk military administration chief Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a Telegram message late Friday. 

Kyrylenko warned the Russians were in the process of replenishing troops in the region to prepare for further assaults.

- Recruits train in England -

Also included in the aid package are four additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to add to eight already in place. 

The United States also put pressure on Russia at a meeting of Group of 20 foreign ministers in Indonesia. 

Blinken on Saturday called for China to distance itself from Russia after talks with his Chinese counterpart in Indonesia.

He added there were "no signs" Moscow was willing to engage after the G20 talks.

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