Russian attacks, civilian deaths and chaos in Ukraine as war enters fourth week
KYIV, Ukraine — As Russia launched an onslaught of new attacks on civilian sites across Ukraine, U.S. officials on Thursday ratcheted up their accusations that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces have committed war crimes, including the bombing of a theater this week where more than 1,000 people were sheltering.
The allegations came as Washington sought to intensify international pressure on Moscow by warning China — Putin’s most powerful ally — not to send military aid to Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivered the message ahead of Friday’s expected meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“President Biden will be speaking to President Xi tomorrow and will make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs,” Blinken told journalists in Washington.
The fighting across Ukraine in recent days has seen Ukrainian counteroffensives slowing Russian advances even as Putin’s forces bombard cities and civilian centers.
Those attacks have led the State Department to begin a legal process to document potential war crimes against Russia,
