Volodymyr Zelensky
(Image credit: Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday announced a mandatory evacuation order for parts of war-torn Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine's forces are holding the line against the invaders in Donetsk, but Russian artillery strikes on towns and villages behind Ukrainian lines continue to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure.

"The sooner it is done, the more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill," Zelensky said, promising material and financial support to evacuees. Zelensky's evacuation order, the largest his government has issued since the beginning of the war, affects hundreds of thousands of people.

Russian shelling has also continued in other parts of the country. Ukrainian grain magnate Oleksiy Vadatursky, whose net worth was estimated at $450 million in 2020, was killed Saturday night when a Russian missile struck his home in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. His wife, Raisa, was also killed. Gov. Vitaliy Kim praised Vadatursky's contributions "to the development of the agricultural and shipbuilding industry" in the region. Vadatursky, who died at the age of 74, was a co-founder of the agricultural company Nibulon and a recipient of the "Hero of Ukraine" award.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Russia has suffered losses as well. Six people were injured on Sunday when an explosive device carried by a drone detonated at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, officials said. The fleet said the explosive device was "low-power" and that the drone carrying it appeared to be homemade.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.