Russian forces shell Chasiv Yar, killing 1

Russian forces shelled the city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast on May 9, killing one man, Suspilne television reported.

Serhii Chaus, the head of the Chasiv Yar Military Administration, told Suspilne that around 20 people had left the city in the past week.

City officials tried to convince more local residents to evacuate on May 9 but none of them agreed, Chaus added. The majority of people who have chosen to remain are the elderly, while families with children have already been evacuated.

According to Chaus, one pharmacy and three shops are left working in the city, which was once home to over 13,000 people.

Chasiv Yar is located a little over 15 kilometers to the west of Bakhmut, the city which has become the epicenter of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops.

One night in Bakhmut: Civilians wait for the end as Russia draws closer

Editor’s Note: This piece tells the story of the lives of civilians and first responders in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, directly through the personal experience of a Kyiv Independent reporter who stayed overnight in the embattled city in January, traveling together with a colleague from Moldova. BAKHM…

Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell