Head of the Donetsk Oblast Administration Pavlo Kyriienko called on civilians in Ukraine's easternmost Donetsk Oblast to leave the region while reporting on escalating Russian attacks. On 13 September, shelling killed 5 and wounded 16 civilians as Russia conducted a massive artillery strike on Avdiivka, as well Kramatorsk and Toretsk (photos by Kyriienko).
The shelling comes as Russia continues retreating from major parts of Ukraine's northeast and amid orders from the Kremlin, given on 2 September, to fully occupy Donetsk Oblast.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive near Kharkiv: what enabled the Balakliia blitzkrieg
