Ukraine's shelling has killed and injured its own civilians in the southern region of Kherson, Russia says, after pounding southern and eastern areas with missile strikes, while some civilians evacuated from a steel plant in besieged Mariupol.
Ukraine's ambassador has reiterated calls for Australia to supply further military equipment to the besieged European nation, warning of further Russian threats to the Indo-Pacific region.
President Xi Jinping says his government supports talks to resolve international disputes, but opposes the use of sanctions, in China's latest attempt to describe an approach to Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine.
Thousands of Russian troops backed by artillery and rocket barrages have begun an offensive in eastern Ukraine as the US and UK led pledges for more arms and money to the government in Kyiv and the United Nations sought a ceasefire.
Ukrainian authorities say missiles have struck the western city of Lviv, killing six, and explosions rocked other cities as Russian forces kept up their bombardments after claiming near full control of the southern port of Mariupol.
Pope Francis has urged leaders to hear the people's plea for peace in Ukraine and implicitly criticised Russia for dragging the country into a "cruel and senseless" conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has threatened to withdraw from the ongoing peace talks with Russia if Ukrainian fighters trapped in the port city of Mariupol are killed by the Russian forces besieging the city.
Civilians have fled areas of eastern Ukraine ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive, while Kyiv says it's checking reports that Russian forces used chemical weapons in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
As Russian forces retreat from their offensive on the Ukrainian capital and focus their assault on the east a new grave holding dozens of civilians has been found in Buzova village near Kyiv.
20 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, including two ambulance variants, are headed to Ukraine to aid the Ukrainian government’s response to "Russia’s unrelenting and illegal aggression", the Australian Government announced this morning.
Moscow faces more Western sanctions in retaliation for civilian killings in northern Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said more dead could be found in areas seized from Russian invaders.
