China Says US Is Exaggerating Russian Threat to Ukraine

In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, a Russian tank is loaded onto railway platforms after the end of military drills in South Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, a Russian tank is loaded onto railway platforms after the end of military drills in South Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
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China Says US Is Exaggerating Russian Threat to Ukraine

In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, a Russian tank is loaded onto railway platforms after the end of military drills in South Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, a Russian tank is loaded onto railway platforms after the end of military drills in South Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

China accused the United States of "playing up the threat of warfare and creating tension", as US President Joe Biden warned that more than 150,000 Russian troops were still massed near Ukraine's borders following Moscow's announcement of a partial pullback.

Western nations have suggested arms control and confidence-building steps to defuse the stand-off, which has prompted them to urge their citizens to leave Ukraine because an attack could come at any time. Russia denies it has any plans to invade.

"Such persistent hyping up and disinformation by some Western countries will create turbulence and uncertainty to the world full of challenges, and intensify distress and division," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

"We hope relevant parties will stop such disinformation campaigns and do more to benefit peace, mutual trust and cooperation."

China has been criticized for its stance on Ukraine by some Western leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

"The leadership of the two heads of state, China and Russia, always work to develop long term good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperative relationship on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries," spokesman Wang added.



Ukraine Downs a Russian Warplane and Russia Claims Gains in the East

Ukrainian service members inspect parts of a Russian aerial vehicle, which local authorities assume to be a newest heavy unmanned aerial vehicle S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) or variation of Sukhoi fighting jet, is seen in residential area of the town of Kostiantynivka after it was shot down, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine October 5, 2024. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via Reuters)
Ukrainian service members inspect parts of a Russian aerial vehicle, which local authorities assume to be a newest heavy unmanned aerial vehicle S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) or variation of Sukhoi fighting jet, is seen in residential area of the town of Kostiantynivka after it was shot down, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine October 5, 2024. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via Reuters)
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Ukraine Downs a Russian Warplane and Russia Claims Gains in the East

Ukrainian service members inspect parts of a Russian aerial vehicle, which local authorities assume to be a newest heavy unmanned aerial vehicle S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) or variation of Sukhoi fighting jet, is seen in residential area of the town of Kostiantynivka after it was shot down, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine October 5, 2024. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via Reuters)
Ukrainian service members inspect parts of a Russian aerial vehicle, which local authorities assume to be a newest heavy unmanned aerial vehicle S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) or variation of Sukhoi fighting jet, is seen in residential area of the town of Kostiantynivka after it was shot down, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine October 5, 2024. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via Reuters)

Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane on Saturday while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east.

The Russian bomber was shot down near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province, head of the Kostiantynivka Military Administration Serhiy Horbunov was quoted as saying by Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne. Photos showed charred remains of an aircraft after it landed on a house that caught fire.

Also in the partially occupied Donetsk province, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Saturday that it had taken control of the village of Zhelanne Druhe.

If confirmed, the capture would come three days after Ukrainian forces said they were withdrawing from the front-line town of Vuhledar, some 33 kilometers (21 miles) from Zhelanne Druhe, following a hard-fought two-year defense.

Although unlikely to change the course of the war, the loss of Vuhledar is indicative of Kyiv’s worsening position, in part the result of Washington's refusal to grant Ukraine permission to strike targets deep inside Russian territory and preventing Kyiv from degrading Moscow’s capabilities.

Meanwhile, two people died in Russian shelling in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov said.

Ukraine’s air force said that Russia had launched three guided missiles and 13 attack drones at Ukraine overnight into Saturday. It said the missiles were intercepted, three drones were shot down over the Odesa region and 10 others were lost.

Nine people were wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger bus in the city of Horlivka in the partially occupied Donetsk region, the city’s Russian-installed Mayor Ivan Prikhodko said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones overnight in three border regions, including seven over the Belgorod region, two over the Kursk region, and one over the Voronezh region.