The Russian military is turning the Ukrainian city of Avdiyivka into a “post-apocalyptic movie set” by ramping up shelling and forcing the authorities to suspend nearly all services, the head of the military command said Sunday.

About 2,000 civilians remain in Avdiivka, according to Ukrainian authorities. The city of Donetsk region is located about 90 km southwest of the besieged Bakhmut.

Before the start of the war, more than 30,000 people lived in the city.

“I am sad to say this, but Avdiivka is becoming more and more like a movie set after the apocalypse,” Vitaliy Barabas, head of its military department, said via the Telegram platform.

According to Mr. Barabas, the eviction of the remaining utility workers in the city has begun, and soon the services offered by the mobile brigades will cease “because there are informers of the Russian occupation forces in the city.”

As Russian troops slowly, gradually flank Avdiivka, the Ukrainian military warned last week that the city could become a “second Bahamut,” where fighting raging since the summer has reduced much of the city to rubble.

Yesterday, Sunday, Russian artillery struck two blocks of flats in Avdiivka, just 10 kilometers from the northern outskirts of Donetsk, which Kiev and its allies believe have been controlled by Moscow since 2014.

According to the Ukrainian military, as a result of airstrikes in Avdiivka on Saturday, one person was injured.

“You must leave, you must pack up, especially those of you who have children,” Mr. Barabas added.

Moscow denies targeting civilians in its 13-month war with no end in sight. Thousands of people were killed, millions more were displaced, dozens of Ukrainian cities were almost or partially wiped off the face of the earth.

Source: RES-IPE