Ukraine Urges Civilians To Leave Slovyansk And Kramatorsk As Russian Strikes Intensify

According to the BBC, police in eastern Ukraine say civilians should leave Slovyansk and Kramatorsk as Russian attacks intensify, with forced evacuations of families with children already under way in the worst-hit areas. The two neighboring cities are the largest still under full Ukrainian control in the Donbas region, and officials say security has deteriorated sharply as glide bombs and drones hit residential areas and infrastructure. Ukrainian police said the number of civilians wounded by Russian attacks in the two cities rose from 70 in June to 212 in August, while deaths totaled 16 in June, 20 in July and 15 in August. They also said the number of glide bombs launched by Russia increased from 40 in June to 109 in July and 92 in August. On 25 August, nine glide bombs hit Kramatorsk, seven of them striking civilian apartment blocks and wounding 24 people, including a two-month-old baby, police said. Two days later, Kramatorsk was hit again, while five bombs targeted Slovyansk.