Ukrainians carry salvaged belongings from the site of a Russian bombardment on a residential building in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. (EPA Images pic)KYIV: Ukraine on Thursday ordered the evacuation of families with children from Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the largest cities in the eastern Donetsk region still under its control.
The order comes as Russia's war with Ukraine, Europe's deadliest since World War II, grinds through its fifth year.
Russia has long pushed for full control of the Donetsk region, which it claims as its own, and has threatened to take it by force if Ukraine does not cede it through negotiations.
Russian attacks on the two cities have killed dozens of people since early October, while the Russian military is now within 10km (six miles) of their outskirts, according to Ukrainian media.
