Zelensky announced a mandatory evacuation of the residents of the Donetsk region

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has announced a mandatory evacuation of the residents of the Donetsk region, in the eastern part of the country, where the cities are the target of shelling by Russian forces, world agencies reported, citing BTA.

“A government decision was made for the mandatory evacuation of the Donetsk region,” Zelensky said in a video message to his compatriots.

“Please evacuate!” he urged. “At this stage of the war, terror is Russia’s main weapon,” he stressed.

“The more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will be able to kill,” Zelensky said, adding that residents would be compensated.

Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced that there would be a mandatory evacuation for the entire population of Donetsk Oblast, one of two regions in Donbass that remains partly under Kyiv’s control. Vereshchuk motivated this decision with the destruction of gas tanks and the lack of heating for the upcoming winter in the district.

Zelensky has now stated that hundreds of thousands of people continue to live in the Donbas areas where fierce fighting is taking place.

“Many people refuse to leave, but it needs to be done. If you have the opportunity, please talk to those who are still in the fighting zones in Donbass. Please convince them that they need to leave.” Zelensky said.

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