leaving home behind
Zelensky orders evacuation of Donetsk
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.
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.