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A Ukrainian official said Russian shelling had killed five civilians in the past 24 hours and wounded 21 others in the Donetsk region, where Russia has stepped up its offensive in recent days, the Associated Press reported.

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This morning, the regional governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kirilenko, wrote in his Telegram message that two people were killed in Avdeevka, one in Slavyansk, one in Krasnogorovka and one in Kurakhovo.

"All crimes will be punished," he added.

Kirilenko yesterday called on the region's 350,000-plus population to evacuate, saying it was necessary for people to leave Donetsk region to save lives and for the Ukrainian army to better defend the cities from the Russian advance.

Ukraine claims to have repelled Russian attacks in the Donetsk region

Donetsk Oblast is part of the Donbas region, an industrial area populated mostly by Russian speakers, and where the most experienced Ukrainian soldiers are now concentrated.

Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces and have controlled most of Donbas for eight years.

Before the invasion this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two self-proclaimed breakaway republics as independent.

He also tried to portray the tactics of the Ukrainian forces and government as similar to those of Nazi Germany - claims for which there is no evidence, the AP said.

Last night, the Russian forces also launched missile strikes on Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, Oleg Sinegubov, the regional governor of the region, wrote in his Telegram message.

According to him, three neighborhoods were hit and a university building was destroyed, as well as an administrative building.

Three people, including a small child, were injured.

Russian invasion of Ukraine