Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 20 of the Russian invasion

The US fears China has already decided to send economic aid to Moscow, and a rare anti-war protest made it on to Russian state media

Firefighters work in an apartment building damaged by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

China has already decided to provide Russia with economic and financial support during its war on Ukraine and is contemplating sending military supplies such as armed drones, US officials fear. The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, laid out the US case against Russia’s invasion in an “intense” seven-hour meeting in Rome with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, pointing out that Moscow had feigned interest in diplomacy while preparing for invasion, and also that the Russian military was clearly showing signs of frailty. Earlier, it was reported that the US had told allies that China “responded positively” to a Russian request for military equipment, a claim Beijing has denied.

An employee of Russia’s state Channel One television interrupted a Russian state TV broadcast by shouting “No to war” and holding a sign that read “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” The poster held up by Marina Ovsyannikova on Monday evening also said, in English, “Russians against the war”. The protest was welcomed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said: “I’m thankful to those Russians who don’t stop trying to deliver the truth.” Russia-Ukraine talks will continue on Tuesday, Zelenskiy said. In an address on Monday night he also called on Russian soldiers to surrender. Addressing them directly he said: “What are you dying for?… If you surrender to our forces we will treat you as humans have to be treated, with dignity.” The UK’s Ministry of Defence said Russia could be planning to use chemical or biological weapons in a “faked attack” in Ukraine or a “staged discovery” of biological agents.