Zelensky urges civilians in eastern region of Donesk to evacuate
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a mandatory evacuation of the eastern region of Donetsk, as Russian forces step up their offensive to take full control of the region.
“A government decision has been made on the mandatory evacuation of the Donetsk region,” Zelensky said in a video address on Saturday evening. “Please evacuate,” he demanded. “The more people leave the Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will kill.”
The region’s governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said Russian attacks left six people killed and 15 others injured on Friday.
Zelenskyy said in a video address on Saturday that hundreds of thousands of people still remain in the Donbas region, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk.
He said, “The more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill.”
Zelenskyy pledged full support to help evacuees saying “At this stage of the war, terror is Russia’s main weapon.”
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said there were no proper electricity or gas supplies in Donetsk due to Russia’s attacks. She called for a mandatory evacuation of the region before winter.
At least 200,000 civilians still live in the territories of the Donetsk region that are not under Russian occupation, according to an estimate by the Ukrainian authorities.
“In total, there are currently about 52,000 children in the Donetsk region. Police officers are explaining to parents that the evacuation involves providing accommodation and all necessary assistance,” said the state police, which is in charge of the operation.
Russian strikes on the region’s cities are claiming civilian lives almost daily. On Saturday night, the Ukrainian army reported Russian artillery strikes in Bakhmut and Kramatorsk, near the front line.
On the southern front, on Saturday night, the town of Mykolayev was heavily shelled, “probably the heaviest ever”, according to its mayor. “Powerful explosions were heard between 1 am and 5 am. Residential buildings were damaged. Several fires broke out at the affected sites,” Oleksandr Senkevych said on Telegram.
