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A man stands in the rubble of his destroyed apartment in the Donetsk region in early July
Photo: -- / dpa
What has happened in the past few hours
In view of the massive attacks by the Russian army in the east of the country, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
called on people
to leave the Donetsk region
.
"In the Donbass there are hundreds of thousands of people, tens of thousands of children, many refuse to leave," said Zelenskyy in his evening video address on Saturday.
He urged residents of Donbass to make this decision.
"Believe me," he said in a pleading tone.
"The more people leave Donetsk region, the fewer people the Russian army can kill."
Previously, the Ukrainian government had
ordered a mandatory evacuation
on the grounds that the citizens had to get to safety in good time before the start of the heating season, as the gas pipelines had been destroyed by the war in the Donetsk region.
According to the Ukrainian government, there are
52,000 children in the region
who urgently need to be brought to safety.
Zelenskyj now emphasized that everything is being organized for people to flee from the areas still controlled by Ukraine.
"Go ahead, we'll help,"
he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, who heads the evacuation staff, stressed that people who wanted to stay had to sign a statement stating that they were aware of the danger to their lives.
She warned that there
would be no heating in the winter
.
»There is a complete lack of gas connection in the Donetsk region, all gas pipelines that needed to be repaired have been repaired.
But, unfortunately, the enemy keeps destroying everything that would help people warm up in winter," she said on TV.
That says Moscow: Five injured in drone attack in Crimea
According to Russian information, the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula has meanwhile
been attacked with a drone
.
Five employees were injured on Sunday, the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Rasvoschajew, said on Telegram.
The drone had hit a courtyard in the headquarters.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
"Early this morning Ukrainian nationalists decided to spoil our Navy Day," Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram.
Celebrations of the day observed in many regions of Russia have been canceled for Sevastopol.
Rasvozhayev asked residents to
"stay at home if possible
. "
The domestic secret service FSB is working on the clarification of the case.
Russian authorities in regions bordering Ukraine repeatedly complain of attacks from the neighboring country.
This is what Kyiv says: Zelenskyj calls on the West to act after the killing of prisoners
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has called on the international community to isolate Russia.
If the country were classified as a
"terrorist state" by the US, all partners
would
cut ties with the country, Zelensky said.
The President once again strongly condemned the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in a Russian-controlled separatist-controlled detention center in Olenivka, Donetsk region.
According to Russian information, 50 prisoners were killed there on Friday by a rocket attack by the Ukrainian side.
Ukraine, in turn, accuses Russia of deliberately killing the soldiers.
The information was not independently verifiable.
Humanitarian situation: Can the Red Cross go to the scene of the attack?
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross were invited to investigate the attack in Olenivka.
Ukraine had also requested such an investigation.
At the same time, the International Red Cross delegation in Ukraine wrote that their request to visit the site had been rejected.
“Yesterday our request for access to the prisoners of war from the Olenivka penitentiary was not granted,” the delegation wrote on Twitter.
She warned that the International Red Cross must have access to the prisoners of war according to the Geneva Conventions.
That's what the US says: Blinking expresses condolences
After the attack on the camp, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his condolences to his Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba.
In a phone call on Friday, Blinken reiterated the US determination to hold Russia accountable for atrocities committed by its armed forces against the people of Ukraine, Blinken said, according to the US State Department.
Blinken also reported on his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, underlining "the unwavering support of the United States for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine".
Blinken and Lavrov spoke to each other on Friday for the first time since the Russian war of aggression began.
What will be important on Sunday
Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects a parade with warships, aircraft and thousands of soldiers on "Navy Day" in Saint Petersburg.
The Kremlin chief is also using the traditional event as a demonstration of power a good five months after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
Parades honoring the naval forces and their various fleets are planned in several regions of Russia.
40 warships, including submarines, are to take part.
According to the Kremlin, Russia is also planning a naval parade in the Syrian port of Tartus in the Mediterranean Sea.
Russia is in the war in Syria on the side of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
kko/dpa