Ukrainian authorities warn that the evacuation of civilians may be impossible once a major Russian offensive begins in the east.
At the same time as Russia’s attacks in eastern Ukraine have intensified, the region’s governors have urged residents to flee the area.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, staying in the area is life-threatening and evacuations can no longer be confirmed later.
– The governors of the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions are asking citizens to leave these areas. They will do their utmost to ensure that the evacuations run in an orderly manner, said the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereštšuk In the telegram.
According to Vereshchuk, there are fears that as the Russian invasion intensifies, it will be impossible to evacuate civilians from the area.
Ukraine, for example, wants to avoid a stalemate in civilians in Mariupol for weeks. There are still an estimated 120,000 people in the city of Mariupol in difficult conditions, besieged by Russian forces. Mass evacuations have not been successful despite international negotiations.
Kharkov and Donbass cities bombed
During the day, fighting has intensified and heavy bombing has continued in eastern Ukraine.
Among other things, the second largest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, has been the subject of heavy firing.
In addition, Russia has carried out artillery attacks in various parts of Donetsk and Luhansk. According to the headquarters of the Ukrainian army, Russia has targeted civilian targets and positions of the Ukrainian army in Borivske, Novoluhansk, Solodke, Marinka and Zolota Nyva.
Barvinkove, on the west side of the city of Kramatorsk, is strategically important as it runs through the railway to western Ukraine. In addition to the evacuation of civilians, the maintenance of Ukrainian troops would be significantly jeopardized if Russia were to take over the railway.
Russia is firing on civilian targets again
Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhi Haidai in turn, said 60 percent of the city of Rubižné is under Russian control. According to Haidai, several civilians are feared in attacks on the dead city dwellings.
Haidai also said ten apartment buildings were on fire in the city of Severodonetsk as a result of a Russian grenade fire. The victims were not yet known. The mall and the parking garage had also been hit. According to the governor, none of the fired targets were military targets.
Ammunition and rockets also hit the city of Severodonetsk at regular intervals, according to reporters at the AFP news agency. The buildings were on fire.
The city of Severodonetsk is a temporary administrative center in the Luhansk region, while the city of Luhansk has been under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014. The city is the easternmost of the cities still in the possession of Ukrainian troops.
A UN humanitarian convoy arrived in the city yesterday on Tuesday with food and relief supplies as well as power generators for four hospitals.
According to the UN, thousands of people in the city are cut off by gas and water due to fire.
Russia’s attack maybe in a week
U.S. intelligence said Wednesday that Russian troops have now withdrawn virtually entirely from the vicinity of Kiev and northeastern Ukraine.
According to military experts, Russia is now preparing for a major attack in the east. It is estimated that President Vladimir Putin would like to achieve some significant military victory before the Victory Day parade on May 9th.
Therefore, experts believe that the major attack will begin as soon as possible, and the soldiers fighting around Kiev will not have a very long rest period before that.
However, it will take at least a week for troops to be transferred from the north to be in combat condition in the Donbass, experts speculate.