Russia-Ukraine war live: Kyiv urges civilians to leave villages near north-east front; Russian city hit by ‘Ukraine drone’

Authorities in Kharkiv region told to evacuate; Voronezh, 250km across border from Ukraine, declares state of emergency in city near Russian airbase

The Kremlin has declined to comment on a Bloomberg report that Chinese state-owned banks are tightening curbs on funding to Russian clients for fear of US secondary sanctions, describing it as a highly sensitive topic.

Asked about the report, the spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said it was a matter for the companies and departments involved, and not for the Kremlin, Reuters reports.

This is a very, very sensitive area and it is unlikely that anyone will undertake to talk about it – you shouldn’t expect that.

We continue to develop relations with China; it’s our very important strategic partner.