The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has given orders to Ukrainians living in the eastern parts of the Donetsk region to evacuate the area.
Zelensky fears that the fight could escalate in those areas in the coming days.
The Ukrainian president made this known while speaking during a late-night address on Saturday night in Kyiv.
“The more people leave the Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill,” he said.
The region has seen heavy clashes amid a slow advance by Russian forces, who already control large parts of it.
“The more people leave the Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill,” the Ukrainian leader said. “We will use all available opportunities to save as many lives as possible and to limit Russian terror as much as possible.”
Mr. Zelensky’s intervention comes as Russia invited UN and Red Cross officials to investigate the deaths of 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in another part of the Donetsk region held by Russian-backed separatists.
Speaking on Saturday evening, Russia promised to launch an objective investigation into the attack
The Red Cross said on Friday it was asking for access to the Russian-run detention facility and to surviving prisoners – but no permission was immediately forthcoming.
The Olenivka prison camp is controlled by the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR).
What happened there on Friday remains unclear. Unverified Russian video footage of the aftermath shows a tangle of wrecked bunk beds and badly charred bodies.
Kyiv denies carrying out the strike and has alleged that Russia fired on the facility to cover up evidence of war crimes.