Ukraine has ordered the immediate evacuation of the city of Bakhmut after a Russian bombardment that left at least 5 dead

Russian troops shelled a residential area in the town of Bakhmut in the early hours of Friday, leaving at least 5 civilians dead and some nine injured, according to the Kyiv Independent portal.

Grad MLR missiles were used in the attack, which hit many residential buildings, the attorney general’s office said.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Irina Vereshchuk, urged residents of Bajmut to leave town because of ‘heavy fighting going on’ as Russian troops attack residential areas.

“They must evacuate immediately, because when you stay, you put yourself and your loved ones in danger, especially children who are forced to stay with you,” the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

He also warned that staying in the area ‘creates additional problems and risks’ for emergency teams and rescue, as soldiers or volunteers.

Russia’s strategy of attacking Bakhmut is aimed at delaying Ukraine’s counteroffensive, said Andriy Yussov, spokesman for the General Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, according to statements collected by the aforementioned media.

This Thursday, Russia launched a massive missile attack across Ukraine, after Western allies pledged to increase military aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to support a counter-offensive.

The Ukrainian authorities assured that the southern air defenses brake eight Kalibr missiles shot from a ship in the Black Sea, but others have reached northern and western Ukraine, as well as the central regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovograd.

One of the missiles hit a industrial zone of the western city of Lviv, causing a fire to be brought under control a short time later.

Supported by tens of thousands of reservists enlisted in December, Russia has stepped up ground attacks in southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, and a major new offensive is expected as the first anniversary of their invasion approaches of February 24.

“The enemy offensive continues in the east, with round-the-clock attacks,” said on Wednesday the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, Hanna Painter.

“The situation is tense. But our fighters do not allow the enemy to achieve its objectives and inflict very heavy losses on it,” Maliar wrote on Telegram.

The Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn in the face of Russian operations in the region of Luhansk, although he did not give details of what happened on the battlefield.

“During the offensive, Ukrainian troops randomly withdrew to a distance of up to 3 kilometers from previously occupied lines,” the Russian ministry said.

However, he did not specify where in Luhansk the offensive took place.