Russian forces have been driving deeper into the partly-occupied eastern Donetsk region. Its total capture is one of the Kremlin’s primary ambitions.
Russian shelling in the frontline Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar killed at least five people on Saturday, according to the regional governor.
The attack struck a high-rise building and a private home, said governor Vadym Filashkin.
The victim were reportedly men aged between 24 and 38.
Filashkin urged remaining civilians in the town – which had a pre-war population of around 12,000 – to leave the front line.
“Normal life has been impossible in Chasiv Yar for more than two years,” he said, “Do not become a Russian target. Evacuate.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have captured the town of Piynichne – also in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
Russian forces have been driving deeper into the partly-occupied eastern region of Ukraine, even as Kyiv sends its forces into Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukraine and Russia trade strikes
The violence continues to rage, as the number of injured rises following a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Friday.
Six people were killed, including a 14-year-old girl, according to the region’s governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Writing on social media, he said that the number of injured had risen from 47 to 96.
Across the border, five people were killed and dozens more injured after Ukrainian shelling hit the Russian city of Belgorod.
Belgorod’s governor Cyacheslav Gladkov said on Saturday morning that 46 civilians were injured in the shelling.
He added that 37 people were hospitalised, including seven children, one of whom is reportedly in a serious condition.
Officials claimed Ukraine hit Belgorod using cluster munitions and deadly “Vampire” MLRS.
Belgorod is approximately 40km from the Russian border and has been repeatedly hit since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
