Six lives were claimed by strikes near the embattled city of Pokrovsk as Russian forces advanced in the east.
After two nights of intense and deadly bombardments, the scale of attacks across Ukraine diminished, though the conflict continued to exact a toll near the front lines.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Moscow’s extensive bombing campaign earlier this week, describing it as one of the most significant since the conflict began over 30 months ago.
Many residents in Kyiv expressed relief on Wednesday after experiencing a brief reprieve from the relentless air-raid sirens and explosions that disrupted the early hours of both Monday and Tuesday.
The eastern Donetsk region, which has been the site of some of the year’s most intense fighting, did not escape the violence.
In the small settlement of Izmailivka, located just a few miles west of Russian-held territory, a Russian strike tragically killed four members of a single family, according to a statement by the state prosecutor’s office on Facebook.
The settlement lies in the path of Russia’s ongoing assault on Pokrovsk, a strategic city crucial for Ukrainian military logistics in the Donetsk region.
“The people died buried under the rubble,” read the somber statement. Meanwhile, the regional military administration reported that two additional casualties occurred in another Russian attack on a Ukrainian-held area near Bakhmut, a city that fell to Russian forces more than a year ago after some of the war’s most grueling battles.
The Donetsk region, part of the larger Donbas area, has endured daily bombardments of missiles, drones, and artillery as Russian President Vladimir Putin pursues his objective of seizing control of the entire Donbas.
Ukrainian authorities have long urged civilians to evacuate as Russian forces continue their advance.
However, many residents, driven by poverty, health concerns, or a deep connection to their homes and land, have chosen to remain.
Earlier in 2024, Russian troops captured the Donetsk cities of Marinka and Avdiivka, and have since slowly moved westward towards Pokrovsk.
Prior to the full-scale invasion, Pokrovsk had a population of approximately 61,000 and has now become a focal point in the conflict due to its strategic importance as a transport hub for Ukrainian forces.
The pace of the Russian advance has picked up slightly over the past three weeks, coinciding with Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, a notable development in the ongoing war.
Military experts, however, believe that despite the uptick in Russian momentum, Pokrovsk is unlikely to fall in the immediate future due to the distance from the front lines and the current rate of advance.
In a precautionary measure, the regional military administration imposed a curfew in Pokrovsk starting Wednesday, from 3 p.m. to 11 a.m., though no specific reason was provided.
Amid the dangers in the east, the absence of large-scale missile and drone attacks overnight brought some comfort to Ukrainians.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed on Wednesday that while warnings of potential attacks were issued, no missiles or explosive drones were launched.
In Kyiv, Julia Boiko, a 46-year-old nanny, shared how the explosions earlier in the week had frightened her three-month-old kitten as they sought refuge in the corridor of her apartment building. “It was stressful for me and for him,” Ms. Boiko recounted.
