Officials estimate that there are approximately 2,000 civilians still in Avdiivka. It is a Donetsk city located 90 km (56 miles) south of the besieged Bakhmut. According to officials, the city was home to more than 33,000 people before the war.

Vitaliy Barabash, the head of the military administration in the city, stated that Avdiivka was becoming "more and more like a movie set" via the Telegram messaging app.

Barabash said that the evacuation of utility workers who were left in the city is underway and that mobile reception will soon be cut "because there are informers for the Russian occupiers" in the city.

The Russian forces have made recent steady gains on the flanks Avdiivka’s Avdiivka. Last week, the Ukrainian military warned that the city could become "second Bakhmut". This is where months of fierce fighting have rendered the town utterly ruined.

Two high-rise buildings were hit by Russian shelling in Avdiivka on Sunday. This is only 10km from Donetsk’s northern outskirts.

According to the Ukrainian military, one person was hurt in multiple air strikes on Avdiivka Saturday.

Barabash said: "You must go, you need to pack your stuff, especially your children."

Russia denies that it has targeted civilians during the 13-month-old war against its neighbour. This war has not ended and has resulted in thousands of deaths, millions of displacements, and many cities being almost or partially destroyed.

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