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Russia is likely to be concerned after “unexplained” explosions around the occupied city of Mariupol in Ukraine, British officials have said.
The blasts have occurred in a zone Russian troops had likely assessed as being beyond Ukrainian strike capabilities, said the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
At least 14 explosions have occurred in the devastated Ukrainian city occupied by Russia since February 21.
FILE: A woman walks past a burning apartment building after shelling in Mariupol, UkraineAPIn a briefing, the MoD said: “Sites of the incidents have included an ammo cache at the airport, two fuel depots, and a steel works that Russia uses as a military base. Mariupol lies at least 80km away from the front line.
“Russia will likely be concerned that unexplained explosions are occurring in a zone it had probably previously assessed as beyond the range of routine Ukrainian strike capabilities.
“Although widely devastated earlier in the war, Mariupol is important to Russia because it is the largest city Russia captured in 2022 that it still controls, and sits on a key logistics route.”
Air raid sirens blared in Kyiv and other cities overnight, with a Russian missile killing one person in the western town of Khmelnitskyi, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian serviceman near an automatic grenade launcher in Bakhmutvia REUTERSUkrainian ground forces commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi also visited the eastern city of Bakhmut, the focus of Russia’s attacks for months as it tries to take control of the Donbas industrial region.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry said Sunday that its forces had destroyed Ukrainian “sabotage and reconnaissance groups," including in the area of Yahidne - a claim denied by Kyiv.
It comes as the United States warned China of serious consequences were it to provide arms to support Russia’s invasion.
The US has claimed that Beijing was considering supplying equipment to Russia, including possibly drones, ahead of an expected spring offensive.
“Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance but if it goes down that road it will come at real costs to China," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN.
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While China had not moved forward in providing that aid, neither had it taken the option off the table, Mr Sullivan said in a separate interview.
Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow’s attack on Ukraine, most recently at a G20 in India on Saturday.
It published a ceasefire proposal on Friday, the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the offer was met with scepticism among Ukraine’s Western allies.