Russian strikes hit Donetsk region - police

STORY: The Ukrainian police said that Russian strikes hit a total of 13 areas in the Donetsk region from Monday (August 15) to Tuesday.

Serhii Ukrainets, a 33-year-old Kramatorsk resident, said he was asleep in his bedroom when the strike hit the yard next to his house at 2 a.m. Kyiv time (23:00 GMT on Monday).

"We kept thinking about leaving, but we couldn't decide on the date. Now, we'll have to see," he said while walking through his destroyed house.

Many residents have left Kramatorsk as Russian forces advance. The city is one of the last Ukrainian strongholds in eastern Ukraine, and its fall would take Russia a step closer to establishing control over the entire Donbas area.

Ukraine aims to evacuate two thirds of residents from areas it controls in the eastern battleground region of Donetsk before winter.

Authorities describe the evacuation as "mandatory", but residents can opt out by filling in a form declaring their intention to stay.